GUWAHATI: Three overground workers associated with the banned militant outfit United Liberation Front of Asom (Independent), or ULFA(I), have been arrested in connection with an ambush on an Assam Rifles convoy in Tinsukia district earlier this month, according to a statement released by police on Wednesday, April 25.
The arrests were made in a joint operation involving police forces from Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, along with the Assam Rifles. The trio, all from Changlang district in Arunachal Pradesh, were apprehended for their alleged involvement in facilitating the ambush and aiding the militants' escape.
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The ambush occurred on April 16, when a convoy of the 31 Assam Rifles, traveling from Changlang in Arunachal Pradesh to Margherita in Tinsukia, Assam, was attacked by suspected militants in the Makumpani forest area. One personnel of the paramilitary force was injured in the attack. Security forces responded with retaliatory fire, during which the militants were also suspected to have sustained injuries.
According to the police statement, one of the arrested provided logistical support, rations, and acted as a guide for the ULFA cadres during the ambush. The other two arrested persons assisted in the militants' escape and provided local support and guidance.
In the aftermath of the ambush, ULFA(I) claimed responsibility for the attack, stating that "Operation Pratishodh" was carried out to avenge the deaths of two of its cadres. Police indicated that at least three ULFA cadres were injured during the retaliatory fire and have since been evacuated to ULFA camps in Myanmar.
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The police also revealed that one ULFA cadre, who was killed during the retaliatory firing, was buried by other militants in the nearby forest area. Efforts are now under way to recover the body and hand it over to the family members. A search operation has been launched in coordination with the Assam Rifles, the army, and the Arunachal Pradesh Police to locate the buried body and apprehend other militants involved in the ambush.
The three arrested individuals have reportedly identified the ULFA cadres involved in the ambush.
