Tapan Baruah | |
|---|---|
| Born | Madan Das 16 February 1972[1] Nalbari, Assam, India |
| Died | 20 May 2002 (aged 30) Tinsukia, India |
| Other names | Tapan Baruah, Jayanta Handique |
| Criminal charge(s) | Revolution against Indian Federation |
| Criminal penalty | None (as dead) |
Tapan Baruah (Assamese: (তপন বৰুৱা) (real name Madan Das)) was the first Battalion Commander of 28th Battalion of ULFA. He was killed on 20 May 2002. He was widely known as a hardcore militant in guerrilla warfare in the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom.[2][3][4][5][6]
According to conflict analysist Tapan Baruah was very skilled in guerrilla warfare.
Tapan Baruah was also ULFA's Action Group Commander.[7][8]
Biography
Born on 16 February 1972,[1] Madan Das joined the ULFA in 1988 while studying at Nalbari College. He studied at the Debiram Pathsala High School in Nalbari district, and was 1986 HSLC pass out of the school. Tapan Baruah attended Nalbari College for his pre-university couse but didn't attend the exam an joijned the ULFA[1]
Madan Das joined the ULFA in 1988 and became a close aide of the outfit's Commander-in-Chief Paresh Baruah. After joining ULFA, he took alias as Tapan Baruah and was very soon promoted as one of the dreaded commanders. In 1998, he was assigned the task of the commander of the 28th Battalion of the outfit.
Major Assassination
Tapan Baruah and his mate Drishti Rajkhowa are believed in involvement in the bombing & killing of Assam Minister Nagen Sharma in 2000.[9][10]
Death
On 20 May 2002, Tapan Baruah was surrounded in Talpothar Majhgaon of Kakopathar by hundreds of Indian Army personnel following an intelligence input. At that time, approx morning 11 AM, he was on his morning meal in the house of Rebati Dhadumia, while he was surrounded without his knowing. While army personnel's position was known to him, he tried to flee away but it was too late. He tried to flee out running more than 1 km, but was wounded with bullets shots fired by dozens of Army. Within half an hour, he collapsed and was declared dead.[1] Some sources alleged that Tapan Baruah was shot in cold blood.[11]
Soon after the killing of Tapan Baruah, several Assamese newspapers published news and reports glorifying Tapan Baruah. Some newspaper added citation of the ULFA's Operation Commander Raju Baruah and Foreign Secretary Shashadhar Choudhury's statement as follows:
A huge crowd gathered in the native village of the slain ULFA leader to pay respect to the departed soul. He has been underground for last 15 years and was never arrested either by the police or the Army. Well behaved, Tapan Barua was everyone’s favourite in the locality before he joined the organisation... For around four years he toured different countries receiving the necessary training. Trained in Myanmar, Kachin, Bhutan, and Afghanistan, he was asked to take over as the district operation commander. Then he was made the Commander of the 7th battalion stationed in Bhutan. Before being killed Barua was the operation commander of Upper Assam and lieutenant commanding officer of the 28th battalion of the organisation. [12]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Tapan Baruah - The tragic history behind 28th Battalion of ULFA". Times of Assam. 25 March 2011. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ↑ "United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) - Terrorist Group of Assam". Archived from the original on 8 October 2017.
- ↑ Kashyap, Samudra Gupta (22 September 2007). "End of the road". Indian Express. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
- ↑ Myint, Soe (2003). Burma file, a question of democracy. India Research Press. p. 408. ISBN 9788188353125.
- ↑ "Triple onslaught on Ulfa". The Telegraph (India). Retrieved 23 December 2021.
- ↑ Prakas h, Ved (2008). Terrorism in India's North-east. Kalpaz Publications. p. 461. ISBN 9788178356624.
- ↑ Saikia, Jaideep. "Autumn in Springtime: The ULFA battles for survival". Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
- ↑ Faultlines: Volumes 4-7. Institute for Conflict Management. 2000. p. 39.
- ↑ Gohain, Priyanuj (10 February 2011). "ULFA and Secrets of Politics". Times of Assam. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
- ↑ Kalbag, Chaitanya (23 August 2013). "Anti-election fire burns Assam as Indira Gandhi tries to impose her brand of politics". India Today. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
- ↑ Misra, Udayon. "Assam: Roll-Call of the Dead". Economic and Political Weekly. 37: 5 – via JSTOR.
- ↑ Routray, Bibhu Prasad (2 January 2017). "ULFA - The 'Revolution' comes Full Circle". SATP. Archived from the original on 2 January 2017. Retrieved 5 October 2021.