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Assam: 3 men, suspected to have links with ULFA-I, injured in police firing in Tinsukia
According to the police, the youths had links to the banned United Liberation Front of Asom-Independent (ULFA-I) and left their homes to join the group when they were arrested
Three men were injured in police firing in Assam’s Tinsukia district on Saturday night when they tried to escape from custody after attempting to snatch a pistol from an officer, police said.
According to the police, the trio had links to the banned United Liberation Front of Asom-Independent (ULFA-I) and left their homes to join the group when they were arrested.
“We were intimated on Saturday by families of the three that they had left their homes to join ULFA-I and were headed to the outfit’s camps in Myanmar. They had left in a car and asked family members to pick it up from Jagun,” said Sadiya superintendent of police (SP), Mrinal Deka.
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The trio, all residents of Chapakhuwa, and were planning to leave the vehicle and proceed to Myanmar by crossing the international border in Arunachal Pradesh, said police.
“Based on information provided by their families, we were able to track and capture them on Saturday night at Kharsang in the Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh, which borders Myanmar. They were then brought back to Assam,” said Deka.
According to police, upon interrogation, the trio informed that they had gathered in Dhola to plan their trip to Myanmar. A police team was taking them to the spot when the they tried to snatch a pistol from an accompanying policeman and escape.
The police team fired at them and all three sustained gunshot wounds on their legs, said SP Deka, adding the trio were admitted to the Assam Medical College and Hospital (AMCH) in Dibrugarh.
Also Read: Two held in Assam with assault rifle bullets, magazines stolen from CRPF: Cops
Barely hours after that incident, another person, suspected to be a ULFA-I linkman, was injured in police firing at Geleki in the Sivasagar district on Sunday morning, said police.
All these incidents took place in the backdrop of a verbal spat between Assam director general of police (DGP) GP Singh and ULFA-I chief Paresh Baruah in the past few days after the outfit claimed last week to have triggered at least three blasts in the state (one of them close to an army camp) where no one was injured.
On December 17, the banned outfit issued a statement accusing the DGP of being arrogant and using the state police as his “ancestral property”. In response, Singh told journalists that ULFA-I knows his place of residence and office and they are welcome to target him.
The DGP on Saturday issued a strict warning against youths willing to join ULFA-I. He cautioned people against putting up social media posts in support of outlawed terrorist organisations and warned that those taking to social media to lend their support to the banned outfits will be arrested and prosecuted as per the law.
