Altogether 644 militant leaders and cadres of eight outfits, including ULFA and NDFB, laid down their arms and returned to the mainstream on January 23.
The militants formally surrendered at an Arms Laying Down ceremony here by the state government, in presence of Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, and top Army and police officials.
Among those who surrendered are 50 cadres of ULFA, eight of National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB), one CPI-Maoist cadre, 178 cadres of Adivasi Dragon Fighter (ADF) and 301 of National Liberation Front of Bengali (NLFB).
More than 200 numbers of arms, ammunition, grenades and rocket launchers among others were also laid down by the militants.
Sonowal said that the youths who strayed into terrorism and extremist activities must be given an opportunity to come back to the mainstream society and rebuild their lives.
“I welcome all members of extremist groups who have laid down their arms today to lead a normal life again and contribute meaningfully to the nation building process through hard work and dedication. It will inspire other such militant organisation members to come back to mainstream society,” said Sonowal.
Saying that building a terrorism-free Assam was one of the main commitments of the present state government, Sonowal urged the surrendered militants to dedicate themselves to the nation building process and utilise their potential to bring positive transformation in the society.
Peace is a prerequisite for ushering in development and the former militants must contribute towards sustaining peace and harmony in the society, he said. Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s example, the CM said people from all sections of the society must emulate the Prime Minister’s dedication towards the objective of making India strong force at the international stage.
