GUWAHATI: The Paresh Baruah-led anti-talks faction of ULFA alleged on Thursday that BJP State president and CM candidate Sarbananda Sonowal was directly involved in the 1986 murder of student leader and social worker Saurav Bora.
“Some political-career-oriented killers such as Sarbananda Sonowal, (BJP leader) Himanta Biswa Sarma etc had masterminded the murder of Saurav Bora, Sanjoy Ghosh and several others with the help of ULFA for the sake of keeping their political space secured. All these attacks were planned, carried out without the knowledge and sanction of the ULFA commander-in-chief. Sonowal was, in fact, with some of our colleagues from the beginning till the time Bora was murdered,” ULFA assistant publicity secretary Arunudoy Asom said.
The BJP rubbished the “politically motivated” charge. “What made them wait for 30 years?” asked BJP spokesman Rupam Goswami. The Gauhati High Court had discharged Sonowal, who was the prime accused in the Bora murder case, and five others, of all charges. The case was initially investigated by the police and transferred to the CBI in 1988.
“By attending a rally of (BJP candidate) Bhaskar Sarma, Sonowal has shamelessly proven that he is a killer. He had masterminded Bora’s killing as he thought the slain student leader could be his potential political rival,” Asom said.
ULFA recently accused its former member Bhaskar Sarma of leading the “secret killings” of the family members of its men during the second term of the Asom Gana Parishad government (1996-2001).