Ulfa says Assam temple treasure-hunt is a bid to derail peace talks

Ulfa said that a hunt sought by the SC for treasure missing from a Kali temple is a bid to derail the peace process.

Published on: Apr 18, 2016, 10:00:53 IST

Hindustan Times | By Rahul Karmakar, Guwahati

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The United Liberation Front of Asom (Ulfa) said that a hunt sought by the SC for treasure missing from a Kali temple is a bid to derail the peace process

(Representative image) Ulfa said that a hunt sought by the SC for treasure missing from a Kali temple is a bid to derail the peace process. (Picture courtesy: Shutterstock)

Retired army intelligence officer Manoj Kumar Kaushal had said in a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) that the cash and gold disappeared from the temple hours before the army was to recover it on June 1, 2014.

The outfit also said it never collected so much wealth – Rs 300 crore in cash and 300kg of gold allegedly removed from a secret cellar under the temple – in protection money or ‘revolution tax’ since its birth in 1979.

The temple is in Rani Tea Estate, about 30km west of Guwahati. The estate’s owner, Mridul Bhattacharyya who was killed by plantation workers four years ago, was allegedly the Ulfa’s fund manager.

“This could affect peace talks with New Delhi,” Ulfa general secretary Anup Chetia said. Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi said the state has no information about any hidden treasure.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rahul Karmakar
Rahul Karmakar was part of Hindustan Times’ nationwide network of correspondents that brings news, analysis and information to its readers. He no longer works with the Hindustan Times.

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