Assam Chief Minister meets family members of abducted ONGC employee Ritul Saikia

DIBRUGARH:

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, on Tuesday, met the family members of kidnapped ONGC employee Ritul Saikia at his residence in Titabar.

The CM assured Saikia's family that the government was doing its best to get him released from the clutches of the ULFA (I).

Saikia was kidnapped by ULFA (I) cadres along with two other ONGC employees from a Romanian workover rig of ONGC at Lakwa under the Sivasagar district on April 21, 2021.

Meanwhile, security forces managed to rescue two other ONGC employees within a week of abduction from the Mon district of Nagaland, but Saikia was untraceable.

Security forces suspect that Saikia is still under the custody of ULFA (I) at their camp in Myanmar.

However, ULFA (I) chief Paresh Baruah has denied the allegation and stated that Saikia is not in their custody.

Sarma, while interacting with Saikia's family informed that according to the information available with the government, Saikia was somewhere in Myanmar and was safe.

Earlier, the government had already appealed to ULFA (I) to shun violence and join the peace process.

The ULFA (I) on the other hand has announced three months unilateral ceasefire due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

(Edited by Shankar Kumar Turha)

ALSO READ: Ritul Saikia's family urge Assam CM to secure his release from ULFA (I)

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