Police firing injures suspected ULFA cadre, 3 youths in separate incidents in Assam
Guwahati/Tinsukia, Dec 24 (PTI) A suspected ULFA(I) cadre and three youths purportedly en route to join the banned outfit were injured in two separate incidents when they allegedly attempted to escape from custody, Assam Police said on Sunday.
While the militant, reportedly involved in a suspected grenade blast in Sivasagar, was injured on Sunday morning near Geleky, the other three were hurt in firing in Tinsukia district on Saturday night, they said.
Sivasagar Police in a statement said that the person 'was found directly involved' in the December nine grenade blast incident near CRPF Camp in the Joysagar area of the district.
The police had earlier refrained from confirming that the blast had taken place, though four suspects were arrested in this regard last week and the injured suspect was not among them.
The accused had "went to ULFA during the end of 2019 and after spending about a month in the ULFA camp based in Myanmar he came back to Assam", the statement said.
On his return journey, he was arrested by Assam Rifles and imprisoned at Khonsa Jail in Arunachal Pradesh for about four months.
"After his release, he has been in continuous touch with the senior leadership of ULFA based in Myanmar and provided them with information and other local support to carry out anti-national activity. In this incident, he was tasked for the transportation of the grenade and for carrying out the grenade lobbing activity," the police statement said.
It claimed that the person had received money from the proscribed organisation for carrying out the incident and had "recced the Joysagar area to identify the location of blast as well as to check the movement of CRPF personnel and the escape route after the incident".
He was taken to a location in Geleky in the early hours of Sunday to recover some ammunition when he purportedly tried to escape and in police firing to prevent him from fleeing, the accused was injured in the leg.
He has been sent to Assam Medical College and Hospital (AMCH) in Dibrugarh for treatment.
The statement also said that 21 rounds of live ammunition, one motorcycle used in the incident and other articles were recovered in the search incident.
Father of the accused told local media that his son was initially picked up on Friday and dropped back home the next day.
"He was again taken away on Saturday," the father claimed, maintaining that his son was not involved with the militant outfit in any manner.
Meanwhile, in another incident late on Saturday night in Tinsukia district, three youths nabbed by police while purportedly en route to join the banned ULFA (I) were injured when they attempted to escape from custody, a police officer said on Sunday.
The incident happened when the trio was being brought to Sadiya, which is a police district under the administrative jurisdiction of Tinsukia, he said.
Sadiya Superintendent of Police (SP) Mrinal Deka told PTI that the youths were from the Chapakhuwa area of the district and their families had informed the Sadiya police station that they had run off to join the proscribed outfit.
"The families gave us the information in writing on Saturday. Immediately we launched a search operation and managed to nab the three youths from Kharsang in Arunachal Pradesh. During spot interrogation, they informed that they had attended a meeting in the Dhola area. We took them to the place while returning to Sadiya last evening. As soon as the trio alighted from the police vehicle, they tried to snatch a firearm from one of the personnel and attempted to run away under the cover of darkness", he said.
"Our personnel had to resort to controlled firing to ensure that they could not flee. They sustained bullet injuries on their legs," Deka said.
The SP said the three youths are currently undergoing treatment at the AMCH in Dibrugarh.
Asked about any details on the meeting the youths reportedly attended in Dhola, Deka said further information can be known once the trio is interrogated after recovery. PTI
