ULFA-I trying to carry out blasts near Army camps, says Assam Police

Guwahati: The banned United Liberation Front of Asom-Independent (ULFA-I) sent at least two of its cadres to trigger bomb blasts near army camps in the upper Assam area to create panic, a senior police officer said on Friday.

However, one of the two cadres surrendered, and in the initial investigation, he divulged ULFA-I’s plan to the police, Superintendent of Police, Tinsukia district, Gaurav Abhijit Dilip, told IANS.

"The 30-year-old cadre identified as Achyutanand Neog alias Niloy Asom was sent by the outlawed group to trigger a blast at Bordirak village under Margherita subdivision of Tinsukia district," he said, adding that Neog was instructed to throw a grenade at an area near an army camp along the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border.

"The cadre revealed during the interrogation that he was told to carry out bomb blasts near the army camps or in crowded places, and if he fails to do that, he will face severe punishment, most likely in the form of execution," the officer said.

The police said that Neog preferred to surrender to save his life.

Meanwhile, the police launched a manhunt to nab the other cadre, who had been carrying explosives to carry out a bomb blast near some Army camps.

"Neog has briefed us about the movement of the second cadre in the area. We are hopeful that he will be arrested soon," Dilip said.

A minor blast occurred in front of a base of an Army company in the Dirak area of Tinsukia on Wednesday. No injury was reported from that blast.

According to the Superintendent of Police, it has been suspected that the blast might be carried out by the other cadre, as revealed by Neog.