Dibrugarh: Two active cadres of the banned United Liberation Front of Asom-Independent (Ulfa-I) surrendered before security forces at Pangsau Pass in Arunachal Pradesh’s Changlang district on Tuesday night, in what officials have described as a significant development in ongoing counter-insurgency efforts in the northeast.The two individuals who laid down arms have been identified as Ashok Sonowal alias Lekang Asom (31), a resident of Mahadevpur in Arunachal, and Biplav Buragohain alias Nipen Asom (31) from Gohaingaon in Assam’s Dhemaji district.According to officials, both cadres deserted Ulfa-I’s joint general headquarters located at Ranu in Sagaing region of Myanmar on May 3, two days before their surrender. The duo travelled on foot through difficult and remote terrain along the Indo-Myanmar border before reaching the Pangsau security post, where they formally surrendered before security personnel.“The surrender of these two cadres is an encouraging development. It reflects the sustained pressure that security forces have maintained on Ulfa-I’s operational network and signals that cadres within the outfit are increasingly choosing the path of peace over armed conflict. We hope this encourages other cadres who wish to return to the mainstream to take a similar step. The door remains open,” a security official said.
