Assam Gorkha students demand release of Subba

UDALGURI, Sept 24 : The incident of abduction of Ajay Subba, nephew of Moni Kumar Subba (former member of Indian parliament from prestigious Tezpur Lok Sabha constituency), has rocked upper Assam since September 14 last, the day Subba was abducted by the suspected activists of United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) from his own tea garden in Tinsukia.

Meanwhile, the All Assam Gorkha Students´ Union (AAGSU) -- a students´ body of the Nepali speaking population of Assam -- has taken the case of Subba´s abduction seriously as Subba was an AADSU adviser. AAGSU called for a 12 hour upper Assam banda on September 20 which turned violent in major places of the region.


The banda supporters resorted to violent activities and allegedly ransacked news paper distributors´ office too. As the AAGSU threatened to intensify its agitation demanding release of Subba without any pre-condition, the Assam state security forces have booked eight suspects so far. In this connection, interrogation is on.

However, till today, the police force is silent on the incident though the search operation has been intensified jointly by Assam police, army and Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) in upper Assam and neighboring Arunachal Pradesh state.

According to a section of media reports, the outfit behind the abduction has demanded Rs 48 million as ransom to free Subba which has created a grave concern to Subba´s family members.

Recently, the ULFA rebels have been abducting well established businessmen from various parts of the state to meet the financial needs.

It has also come to light through a reliable source that many ULFA rebels have been taking refuge in Nepal and Indian state of Jharkhand, and are reportedly undergoing training with the Maoists and naxalites.