• ULFA-I seeks clarification from Bengali community on splitting of Barak Valley

    Regional
    ULFA-I seeks clarification from Bengali community on splitting of Barak Valley
    The group claimed in a statement that the Bengalis would be held accountable for any untoward incident...

    Digital desk: The Bengali-speaking population of the state has been urged to weigh in on the proposal to divide the Barak Valley from Assam within 60 days by the United Liberation Front of Assam-Independent (ULFA-I), which opposes it.

    The group claimed in a statement that the Bengalis would be held accountable for any "untoward incident" if they did not publicly voice their position on the matter within 60 days.

    According to sources, the development occurred after the Barak Democratic Front (BDF), a group based in the Barak Valley, had been advocating for the creation of a new state.

    An e-mail statement from the outlawed group stated, "In Assam, several communities have been living in harmony and unity. However, Pradip Dutta Roy has been attempting to split the populace by promoting the idea of dividing the Barak Valley. He has no claim to the Barak Valley's protection against division, and neither did his ancestors. We will, in no circumstances, allow division of Assam."

    The districts of Cachar, Karimganj, and Hailakandi make up the Bengali-speaking Hindus and Muslims-dominated Barak Valley in South Assam. 16 of the 126 seats in the Assembly are held by the region. Many in the areas have argued that they have been disregarded because most elected officials are from the Assamese-dominated Brahmaputra Valley. As a result, they are asking for a separate state.