The Phantom of the Opera

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Current Scenario "I am neither in the dark, nor in the knowhow, I am somewhere in-between", was Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi's response when I asked him about the coordinates of Arabinda Rajkhowa. This was two days before Rajkhowa was handcuffed and produced at a Guwahati Court on December 5. Over the last few weeks, conspiracy theories, plots and sub-plots about the status of one of India's most wanted militants - Arabinda Rajkhowa, chairman of the banned militant outfit, United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), have been flying thick and fast and from all quarters. One was made to believe that he was willing to talk peace, to put an end to the three-decade-long history of violence in Assam. The prospect of a face-to-face dialogue with the ULFA was, in itself, a significant step forward. It was obvious that something was happening, but there also....