Tezpur: United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) ideologue Bhimkanta Burahagohain alias 'Mama', with a message to his outfit's cadres to lay down arms, was presented before the media in Tezpur by the counter-insurgency Unified Command GoC (General Officer Commanding in Chief) today (Dec 26, 2003).

GoC Lieutenant General Mohinder Singh presented the septuagenarian Burahagohain, who read out his message to the ULFA cadres and members to lay down arms and to come to the negotiating table.

Three others - all self-styled 'majors' - who had also been handed over to the Indian Army by the Royal Bhutan Army (RBA) last evening, were however, not presented before the media but whisked away to the 4 Corps headquarters.

They are 'majors' Robin Handique, Bolin Das and Dr Amarjit Gogoi.

78-year old Burhagohain in his written speech, read out by him in English, said, "I have to say to all our cadres and members of ULFA to lay down arms. I think from my side the path which we led was wrong."

"Therefore, I call all ULFA members and even the top leaders to think about it deeply. We need to think that peace does not come through barrel but through negotiations," he said.

A tired looking Burhagohain dressed in dark trousers and a woollen coat also spoke in Assamese and said that there must "be ceasefire from both the sides".

"ULFA must come to an understanding with the Government of India to come to the negotiating table and resolve the matter completely," he added.

Burhagohain was immediately whisked away after he read out the statement and was not allowed to interact with the media.

Official reports had earlier claimed that Burhagohain had surrendered on the second day of 'Operation All Clear', launched by the Royal Bhutan Army on December 15 and later died of his injuries.

The reports had also claimed that his body was handed over to his family members who had denied reciving it following which an NGO 'Manab Adhikar Sangram Samitee' (MASS) filed a habeas corpus petition in the Guwahati High Court for handing over his body, if he was dead, to his family members.