• Contact us
  • Advertising Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
Friday, July 11, 2025
32 °c
Agartala
enewstime
  • Home
  • News
    • Northeast
    • National
    • International
    • Tripura News
  • Sports
    3rd Test: Pope has his 'fingers crossed' as Stokes battles injury at Lord’s

    3rd Test: Pope has his 'fingers crossed' as Stokes battles injury at Lord’s

    'I have asked him for some tips..': Reddy credits Cummins’ advice for bowling success at Lord’s

    'I have asked him for some tips..': Reddy credits Cummins’ advice for bowling success at Lord’s

    3rd Test: Rotation of bowlers will be a critical thing, says Mel Jones

    3rd Test: Rotation of bowlers will be a critical thing, says Mel Jones

    Hockey India names 33-man core group for senior men's national camp

    Hockey India names 33-man core group for senior men's national camp

    Bengaluru to host Indian Open Para Athletics Championship on July 11–12

    Bengaluru to host Indian Open Para Athletics Championship on July 11–12

    Club WC: Enrique motivates PSG to 'make history' after routing Real Madrid

    Club WC: Enrique motivates PSG to 'make history' after routing Real Madrid

    Red Bull sack F1 team principal Christian Horner

    Red Bull sack F1 team principal Christian Horner

    Stuart Broad labels Australia’s current top three 'the most muddled'

    Stuart Broad labels Australia’s current top three 'the most muddled'

    NZ opener Allen ruled out of Zimbabwe tri-series with foot injury

    NZ opener Allen ruled out of Zimbabwe tri-series with foot injury

  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Health
  • Features
  • TendersNew
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Northeast
    • National
    • International
    • Tripura News
  • Sports
    3rd Test: Pope has his 'fingers crossed' as Stokes battles injury at Lord’s

    3rd Test: Pope has his 'fingers crossed' as Stokes battles injury at Lord’s

    'I have asked him for some tips..': Reddy credits Cummins’ advice for bowling success at Lord’s

    'I have asked him for some tips..': Reddy credits Cummins’ advice for bowling success at Lord’s

    3rd Test: Rotation of bowlers will be a critical thing, says Mel Jones

    3rd Test: Rotation of bowlers will be a critical thing, says Mel Jones

    Hockey India names 33-man core group for senior men's national camp

    Hockey India names 33-man core group for senior men's national camp

    Bengaluru to host Indian Open Para Athletics Championship on July 11–12

    Bengaluru to host Indian Open Para Athletics Championship on July 11–12

    Club WC: Enrique motivates PSG to 'make history' after routing Real Madrid

    Club WC: Enrique motivates PSG to 'make history' after routing Real Madrid

    Red Bull sack F1 team principal Christian Horner

    Red Bull sack F1 team principal Christian Horner

    Stuart Broad labels Australia’s current top three 'the most muddled'

    Stuart Broad labels Australia’s current top three 'the most muddled'

    NZ opener Allen ruled out of Zimbabwe tri-series with foot injury

    NZ opener Allen ruled out of Zimbabwe tri-series with foot injury

  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Health
  • Features
  • TendersNew
No Result
View All Result
enewstime
  • Home
  • News
  • Sports
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Health
  • Features
  • Tenders
Home Northeast

ULFA ‘defers’ action on Quippo employees

ENEWSTIME Desk by ENEWSTIME Desk
February 22, 2021
in Northeast
30
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

The separatist United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) says it has ‘deferred action’ against two employees of hydrocarbon company Quippo Oil & Gas Infrastructure Ltd who were kidnapped in December by their armed cadres.

ULFA ‘commander-in-chief’ Paresh Barua called some journalists, including this writer, to inform that ‘expiry of ultimatum does not mean death penalty.’

Barua, who often calls up journalists to spin publicity mileage, said “the ULFA has taken into account appeals made by Assamese civil society and leading citizens seeking release of the two Quippo employees”.

“So though our ultimatum for payment expired on February 16, we are not going to take any drastic action against the two employees,” Barua said over phone.

Reliable sources close to the ULFA have said that the two employees, P.K Gogoi and Ram Kumar, had been moved to an ULFA base in Myanmar’s Sagaing province last week on expiry of the deadline for ransom set by the ULFA.

One source close to the ULFA said the two had been kept in the base in Changlang anticipating payment of ransom and the subsequent release which would be easier and faster if the two were in Indian territory.

“But now they have been moved away into Myanmar to take them out of the strike range of Indian security forces because the ULFA leadership were anticipating a snatch raid,” the source said, but was unwilling to be identified.

Arunachal police have said they were continuing search operations for the two employees in Changlang.

Meanwhile, the Assam government has appealed to the ULFA to release them soonest.

“We earnestly request Paresh Barua to release the duo… We don’t want Assam and India to be painted red with blood… If something unfortunate happens to the two persons, then Assam’s head will hang in shame. Our community will be compared to Talibans,” said senior Assam Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

Sarma, who heads the BJP-led NEDA coalition in Northeast, said it would be “very unfortunate if something were to happen to these two Quippo employees, P.K. Gogoi and Ram Kumar.

The United Liberation Front of Asom (Independent) last week in a statement had warned of “extreme steps” against the two Quippo employees since the expected ransom asked for them was not yet paid.

A ULFA-I statement, signed by its “publicity cell” member Rumel Asom, said that ‘extreme steps’ were being considered next week against the two since the deadline had expired on February 16.

Rumel Asom also said in the statement that Quippo would be henceforth “prohibited” from carrying out work in the entire Southeast Asia region, meaning Northeast which ULFA considers not as part of India but as ‘Western South-east Asia’.

Gogoi, a drilling superintendent, and Kumar, a radio operator, were kidnapped by ULFA militants from a drilling site near Innao in Arunachal Pradesh’s Changlang district on December 21.

Intelligence official said the ULFA initially demanded Rs 20 crores for releasing them but then scaled down the demand to half that amount. There were indications it might be prepared to settle for still less.

But it seems the rebel leaders were bugged by Quippo’s refusal to concede to payment of ransom.

Quippo is into onshore drilling services and have been drilling one of the prospective sites in Changlang.

Gogoi is from Assam’s Sibsagar district while Ram Kumar is from Bihar’s Khagaria district.

Intelligence veterans say the ULFA may not kill the two because one of them is from Assam — and also because it serves them right to keep the pot boiling over the abductions.

Former IB official Benu Ghosh , with long experience in Assam, says the abductions have brought the ULFA back in news .

“Publicity is oxygen for all rebel groups and the ULFA loves to thrive on publicity. Belatedly that has not happened and Paresh Barua must be feeling his growing irrelevance in Assam. The abductions keeps him and ULFA in news and they would love to prolong the crisis for effective headline management,” Ghosh said.

Former Deputy DG of Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) , Major General Gaganjit Singh told this writer that Paresh Barua would be counting on Assam’s pre-poll scenario to strike a big ransom and also garner much-needed publicity.

“If they manage to strike fear through this abduction, hydrocarbon companies exploring in Assam and Arunachal and tea estates will begin to pay up subscriptions to fill the ULFA’s coffers. That election in Assam is only few months away may also help because candidates contesting in areas with ULFA presence may start paying up. This is all about underground economics, like the underworld economics of Mumbai,” said Gaganjit Singh, who commanded a division in Assam before joining the DIA.

The ULFA has often created such a crisis by kidnapping top executives of tea and hydrocarbon companies and dragged them on for publicity. Very rarely have the ULFA killed hostages — usually they have managed to wriggle out ransom.

They killed a Russian coal expert Sergei Gritshenko in 1991 when he killed a ULFA cadre in an attempt to scale and an ONGC hostage B. Raju was killed when caught in a crossfire between ULFA rebels and Indian troops the same year.

That was when the ULFA, at the peak of its strength, had kidnapped a dozen government officials and oil and coal executives immediately after Hiteswar Saikia, known for his tough anti-rebel stance, had taken over as the Chief Minister of Assam.

Related Posts

Sikkim proudly recalls being country’s first Organic Fish Cluster on National Fish day
Northeast

Sikkim proudly recalls being country’s first Organic Fish Cluster on National Fish day

July 10, 2025
Nagaland University launches new programme on Rural Development and Management
Northeast

Nagaland University launches new programme on Rural Development and Management

July 9, 2025
Chakma Hajong issue : Meeting between Arunachal Pradesh Govt & AAPSU sparks concern
Northeast

Chakma Hajong issue : Meeting between Arunachal Pradesh Govt & AAPSU sparks concern

July 7, 2025
GFSRD celebrates World Rural Development Day 2025
Northeast

GFSRD celebrates World Rural Development Day 2025

July 7, 2025
Tallest statue in Assam Honouring Dr SP Mukherjee unveiled
Northeast

Tallest statue in Assam Honouring Dr SP Mukherjee unveiled

July 6, 2025
Covid-19 in Manipur: Daily positivity rate drops to 13.3 pc
Northeast

Covid-19 in Manipur: Daily positivity rate drops to 13.3 pc

July 6, 2025
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
D-2050 D-2050 D-2050
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

About us

Enewstime.in is run by an individual – a Journalist by profession of Tripura with the active help of several journos including senior journalists of the State. On top of that, Enewstime.in being a subscriber of IANS news agency, we have plenty of multi-choice topics to offer to our esteemed readers. Enewstime.in is a venture reach global audience from a tiny State Tripura.

Latest News

Spine a medical miracle and corporate necessity for self-belief: Gautam Adani

Awami League Slams ICT Alleging Coercion of Ex-IGP to Testify Against Hasina

Bloodshed in West Bengal’s Bhangar returns

World Population Day: Planned parenthood key for better maternal, child health, says Nadda

Anupam Kher on President watching ‘Tanvi The Great’: She’s the epitome of different but no less

Income Tax Dept releases excel utilities for ITR-2 and ITR-3 forms

Contact us

19, Old Thana Road. Banamalipur. PO. Agartala. Pin code 799001. Tripura (West), India.

Email: enewstime2017@gmail.com

Wa: 8794548041

  • Contact us
  • Advertising Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use

© 2025 Designed & Developed with ❤️ by Provibe Media LLP

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Northeast
    • National
    • International
    • Tripura News
  • Sports
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Health
  • Features
  • Tenders

© 2025 Designed & Developed with ❤️ by Provibe Media LLP