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Unidentified militants fire RPGs at Assam Police camp, four commandos injured
The attack took place at the camp located near the 10th Mile area under the Jagun outpost, a sensitive belt close to the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border.
Unidentified militants fired multiple rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) shells at a police commando camp in Assam’s Tinsukia district in the early hours of Sunday, injuring at least four police personnel, officials said.
According to witnesses, the attack began around 2am and lasted for nearly 20 minutes. “At 2.01am we heard the first sound, followed by multiple blasts triggered by suspected mortars,” an official present at the camp said.
The attack took place at the camp located near the 10th Mile area under the Jagun outpost of Lekhapani police station, a sensitive belt close to the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border.
At least five RPG shells were fired at the camp, of which four reportedly exploded inside the camp, officials said, adding that the blasts were followed by gunfire.
The injured commandos are currently receiving medical attention at the camp, but the extent of their injuries is not known yet. Authorities are yet to issue a detailed statement on casualties or damage caused.
A team of senior police officers, led by Tinsukia Senior superintendent of police Mayank Kumar Jha, reached the spot soon after the incident. Officials said security has been tightened across Tinsukia district and other parts of Upper Assam following the attack.
A similar incident took place in October last year, when suspected militants opened fire on an Indian Army camp at Kakopathar in Tinsukia, injuring three soldiers.
According to an Army statement at the time, unidentified attackers fired from a moving vehicle at the camp around midnight. Troops responded promptly while ensuring civilian safety in nearby residential areas.
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Officials had said the attackers fled the scene after the exchange of fire. The Army later confirmed that the injured personnel suffered minor abrasions and that the area was secured soon after.
The banned militant group United Liberation Front of Asom-Independent had claimed responsibility for that attack, and officials suspect that the same organisation may be behind the latest strike, given its timing and modus operandi ahead of the Assembly elections.
