Bhimkanta Buragohain (aliases Mama, Sir), also called the Father of ULFA, was the political advisor and ideologue of the revolutionary organisation
ULFA in
Assam
Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...
. He was also one of the founder leaders of the organisation.
Arrest
He was arrested by the Bhutanese Royal Army during
Operation All Clear
Operation All Clear was a military operation conducted by Royal Bhutan Army forces against Assam separatist insurgent groups in the southern regions of Bhutan between 15 December 2003 and 3 January 2004. It was the first operation ever conducted ...
in December 2003 and was handed over to the Indian Army in January 2004. He was released from jail after seven years on 5 December 2010.
Rumours of death
The
ULFA claimed that Buragohain had been captured and killed during Operation All Clear by the
Royal Bhutan Army
The Royal Bhutan Army (RBA; dz, བསྟན་སྲུང་དམག་སྡེ་, bStan-srung dmag-sde) is a branch of the armed forces of the Kingdom of Bhutan responsible for maintaining the country's territorial integrity and sovereign ...
(RBA) while he was leading a group of women and children who were attempting to surrender and waving a white flag.
Arabinda Rajkhowa, the chairman of the outfit, also appealed to the Bhutan King to return the dead body to his family. It also called a 48-hour
Assam Bandh on 20–21 December 2003. The RBA claimed that Buragohain was neither captured nor killed, whereas the Indian Army asserted that he had been killed.
The
Guwahati High Court
The Gauhati High Court was promulgated by governor general of India on 1 March 1948 after the '' Government of India Act 1935'' was passed. Establishing the High Court of Assam with effect from 5 April 1948, for the then Province of Assam. It ...
on 23 December 2003, directed the Army authority to hand over the body, if in possession, to the nearest police station so that his family could perform the last rites.
On 26 December 2003, Lt. Gen. Mohinder Singh, General Officer Commanding 4 Corps, in Tezpur, disproving the rumours and claims made by ULFA and other organizations, produced Buragohain to the media.
On 27 December 2003,. He was accompanied by self-styled Major
Robin Handique
Robin Handique ( Assamese:ৰবীন সন্দিকৈ) was a founding member of the banned terrorist outfit ULFA in Assam. He was an arms and explosive expert who later became a chief advisor of the outfit along with Bhimkanta Buragohain. H ...
, SS Major Amarjit Gogoi and Bolin Das.
Buragohain was imprisoned in Tezpur Jail. and then in Guwahati Central jail.
Charges
Cases registered against Buragohain in various Police Stations of Assam are:
Death
He died of cardiac arrest at his own residence at Dhala Ahomgaon, Tinsukia district, Assam on 19 December 2011.
See also
*
List of top leaders of ULFA
*
Sanjukta Mukti Fouj
*
People's Consultative Group
The People's Consultative Group (PCG) was a citizen's group in Assam, India, comprising 11 members and established by the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) on September 8, 2005. Its objective was to initiate the peace talk process as mediato ...
*
Operation All Clear
Operation All Clear was a military operation conducted by Royal Bhutan Army forces against Assam separatist insurgent groups in the southern regions of Bhutan between 15 December 2003 and 3 January 2004. It was the first operation ever conducted ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Buragohain, Bhimkanta
People from Tinsukia district
Prisoners and detainees from Assam
Prisoners and detainees of Bhutan
1931 births
ULFA members
2011 deaths