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Meghalaya, Arunachal seek extension

By The Assam Tribune

SHILLONG, April 20 � Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh governments have sought extension of the ban on ULFA, citing unabated terror activities of the group in their territories and links with small groups operating in the neighbouring states, reports PTI.

Deposing before Unlawful Activities Prevention Tribunal headed by Delhi High Court Judge Mukta Gupta here, representatives of both the governments said the ban will help the security agencies in taking �effective action� against the terror activities, official sources told PTI.

Representing Arunachal Pradesh, advocate A K Srivastava produced three witnesses while Ranjan Mookherjee, representing Meghalaya, produced several witness before the tribunal.

Mookherjee said officers investigating various ULFA-related cases and deputy commissioners of three districts were produced as witness over the last two days.

�The tribunal has to give its findings by next month,� he said.

In the past two years, three cases related to the banned group of Assam have been registered in West Garo Hills district while four in East Garo Hills district, the sources said, adding the progress of the cases were made known to the tribunal.

The Meghalaya Government told the tribunal that ULFA was regularly using its territory as transit to and fro Bangladesh and the cadres were involving locals for logistic support, sources said.

The group has also forged links with smaller and nascent rebel groups like Garo National Liberation Army in Meghalaya, the tribunal was told.

Meghalaya Political Secretary Bhalang Dhar, who also deposed, submitted the affidavit on behalf of the State.

The Tribunal had issued notices to Assam, Arunachal, Nagaland and Meghalaya governments on the Centre�s plea seeking its nod to extend the ban on ULFA by two more years.

The tribunal is hearing a Home Ministry�s plea seeking its nod to extend the government�s notification, issued on November 27 last year, to extend the ban by two years on ULFA on the ground that it has so far not abjured violence.

The panel has also sought responses from the banned group on the Centre�s notification, before confirming the declaration of the ban or cancelling it.

MHA had decided to re-impose the ban on ULFA as an unlawful organisation on the ground that �the outfit is yet to abjure violence�. The ban, which was slapped in accordance with the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, was first imposed in 1990. Since then, the order has been re-imposed every two years.

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