Altogether 305 insurgents belonging to the little-known the United Liberation Front of Barak Valley (ULFBV), a Reang outfit, formally surrendered before the authorities in Guwahati on September 30. Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and other top officials also attended the surrender ceremony. The militants deposited arms and ammunitions including three AK-47 rifles and an M-16 rifle. The group also submitted a six-point charter of demands that includes creation of a separate Zila Parishad for the Reangs and other tribals living in the Barak Valley1.

Meanwhile, in a significant development, the National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB) on September 30 formally gave up its original demand of a ‘sovereign Bodoland’ and assured the Central Government that the outfit would try to find solution to the problems within the framework of the Constitution of India. Further, the term of the cease-fire agreement with the NDFB has been extended by a period of three months with effect from October 12. Meanwhile, Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) chief Hagrama Mohilary on September 30 said that the council could be scrapped if the NDFB agreed to a separate state. The Mohilary-led Bodo Liberation Tigers (BLT) had waged an armed struggle for statehood before settling for an autonomous council as per the accord in 2003. The BLT has since been disbanded. “If the NDFB drops the demand of sovereignty and asks for a separate state, we will stand by them. Nobody will oppose it,” Mohilary said during a press conference at Kokrajhar3.

• 1. “305 ULFBV cadres surrender”, Sentinel, October 1, 2008, at http://sentinelassam.com/sentinel_en/main%20news.htm
• 2. “NDFB gives up sovereignty demand”, Assam Tribune, October 1, 2008, at http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/details.asp?id=oct0108/at04
• 3. “Hagrama open to statehood”, Telegraph, October 1, 2008, at http://telegraphindia.com/1081001/jsp/northeast/story_9910741.jsp