ULFA (I) Warns of Conflict if Ex-Leader Jiten Dutta Linked to NGO Farm

The United Liberation Front of Asom (Independent) [ULFA (I)] has issued a statement cautioning against the involvement of surrendered ULFA leader Jiten Dutta in an agricultural project initiated by the NGO Shataphul in the Tengapani area of Sadiya, Tinsukia district, along the Assam–Arunachal Pradesh border.

In the statement, ULFA (I) said it welcomed initiatives that enable unemployed youths and farmers to achieve self-reliance through agriculture. The outfit highlighted that since the early 1990s, it had itself set up agricultural farms in various parts of Assam to encourage local youth towards self-sufficiency. “The success of such young farmers is a matter of pride for Assam, and their role as models for others is to be appreciated,” the release noted.

However, ULFA (I) expressed strong reservations about Jiten Dutta’s alleged association with the proposed Shataphul farm. The outfit said Dutta, a surrendered member, has a “dark record” in Assam’s struggle history, accusing him of causing “irreparable harm” to the organization after his surrender. The group warned that any direct or indirect role of Dutta in the farm project could lead to conflict.

“If Jiten Dutta becomes associated with the Shataphul farm, it will inevitably create tensions. In that case, both the NGO authorities and the government will have to take responsibility,” the statement said.

The outfit further declared that Dutta’s presence and activities in Assam’s border regions with Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland — particularly in Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Charaideo, Sivasagar, Jorhat, and Golaghat districts — would not be tolerated.

The cautionary note comes amid the NGO’s initiative under Padmeshwar Moran’s leadership to establish a farm aimed at helping unemployed farmers in the Tengapani area. While ULFA (I) maintained that it has no objection to genuine agricultural ventures, it reiterated that any attempt to involve former insurgent leader Jiten Dutta would be “firmly opposed.”

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