Three cadre of the anti-talk faction of the Ulfa were killed on Friday after a bomb went off at a remote village in Assam’s Goalpara district on Friday morning.
Assam police have also intensified security arrangements across the State after receiving inputs that the anti-talk faction of militants might try to disrupt the Independence Day celebrations in Assam.
Police said that the three Ulfa cadre had been taking shelter in the house of one Malaijeet Rabha of Mongre village under Agia police station in the district. The bomb went off on Friday and killed the three cadre instantly, police said.
Goalpara district is on Western Assam borders Meghalaya and it had been witnessing a spurt in militant activities in the past few years. While anti-talk faction of the Ulfa and National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) mainly operates in the district, Meghalaya based militant outfit Garo National liberation Army (GNlA) also has substantial presence in the district.
“The militants had brought the Improvised Explosive Device (IED) for planting in crowded places in the run-up to the forthcoming Independence Day celebrations. However, the bomb went off accidentally and killed them,” said Goalpara SP N Gogoi.
“While one of them had been identified as Kanteswar Rabha, another was identified as Akon Rabha. The other cadre is yet to be identified,” the SP said.
The anti-talk faction of the Ulfa militants blew up a tea stall located close to Krishnai police station in the district on July 23 last, killing one person instantly and injuring three others. The militants had planted a powerful IED in a bicycle outside a tea stall.
Senior officials from Assam Police headquarters informed that there had been inputs that the anti-talk faction of militants might try to carry out subversive activities in the run-up to the Independence Day.
“We have alerted all the police stations and outposts across the State. Anti-insurgency operations have been on in sensitive areas of the State to foil any attempt of the militants to disrupt the I-Day celebrations across the State,” said a senior official of the Assam police.