‘I thought we could achieve something’: Ex-ULFA-I rebel returns home after 15 years

Golaghat, March 26: It was a homecoming filled with tears and emotions in Morangi Sarrgaon, Golaghat, as Mandwip Saikia, alias Nabajit Asom, returned to his family after spending 15 years as a cadre of the United Liberation Front of Asom-Independent (ULFA-I).

Nabajit, who surrendered in Tinsukia last month, was officially handed over to his family on Tuesday. As he stepped into his home, his mother embraced him tightly, tears streaming down her face.

"He said he was going to a wedding in Dergaon, and I asked him to return the next day. When I called him, he said he'd stay a little longer, and then I couldn’t reach him anymore. For years, I didn’t know where he was or what he was doing. Today, seeing him home feels like a dream," she said, her voice breaking with emotion.

Nabajit had joined the proscribed insurgent outfit in 2010, drawn by the group's vision of an independent Assam. However, over the years, disillusionment set in.

"I stayed with ULFA for about 15 years. I thought it would be different, that we could achieve something meaningful. But there were differences of opinion, and things were not what I had imagined. I met Paresh Baruah in Myanmar in 2011, 2015, and 2017, but after that, there was no further interaction," Nabajit shared.

Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP), Golaghat, Bibhas Das, confirmed the development, stating, "Nabajit Asom surrendered in Tinsukia on February 28 and today, he appeared at the Golaghat Superintendent of Police’s office. We formally handed him over to his family members. He was part of the 779 group of ULFA (Independent) in Myanmar."

His surrender has reignited discussions about ULFA (I)’s activities, particularly its alleged clandestine fundraising and recruitment operations.

For Nabajit, however, the focus is now on rebuilding his life. As he stood beside his mother, she held him close and whispered, "It's a new start for him and for us".