Timely operation prevents planned attack on civilians, averting mass casualties in Tinsukia district.
A major terror plot targeting civilians in Assam’s Tinsukia district was foiled after Tinsukia Police, working in close coordination with central agencies and other security forces, arrested two active cadres of the proscribed United Liberation Front of Asom (Independent), or ULFA(I), at Jagun under Lekhapani Police Station on 26 June.
According to the police, the operation prevented what could have been a mass-casualty attack on innocent civilians in Tinsukia town. The arrests followed an intelligence-based operation carried out by the security forces.
The two arrested ULFA(I) cadres have been identified as SS 2nd Lt. Siyor Asom alias Humenjyoti Baruah (27), son of Uttam Baruah and a resident of Panitola in Tinsukia district, and SS 2nd Lt. Manoj Asom alias Papu Moran (30), son of Dicem Moran and a resident of Baghjan in Tinsukia district.
Police said both joined ULFA(I) in 2018 and had been actively involved in several terror-related incidents in the region.
During the operation, security forces recovered two AK-56 rifles, 172 rounds of AK ammunition, two hand grenades, a medicine kit containing syringes and opioid medicines, food supplies meant for prolonged survival in jungle areas, backpacks, cash and other logistical items.
As per the preliminary investigation, the two cadres had allegedly been tasked by ULFA(I) to carry out indiscriminate attacks on civilians in Tinsukia to spread panic and disturb peace in the region. Investigators also stated that the planned modus operandi showed signs of external support intended to disrupt public peace and harmony.
A case has been registered at Lekhapani Police Station as Case No. 42/2026 under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the Arms Act and the Explosive Substances Act.
Police further alleged that the arrested cadres were linked to earlier militant activities, including the attack on an Army camp at Kakopather on 17 October 2025, the attack on the Assam Police Commando Camp on 21-22 March 2026, and the kidnapping of an employee of a stone crusher unit from Jagun on 23 October 2024.
The arrests come against the backdrop of Tinsukia’s long history of insurgency-related violence.
The United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) was founded on 7 April 1979 during the Assam Agitation with the stated objective of securing Assam’s “independence”. Over the years, the organisation was involved in bombings, ambushes, extortion and targeted killings, particularly across Upper Assam districts, including Tinsukia.
Tinsukia and neighbouring Dibrugarh served as important operational areas for the outfit. Among the major incidents attributed to ULFA was the bombing and destruction of a petrol reservoir at the Digboi refinery in Tinsukia, causing significant economic damage. The district also witnessed bank robberies, improvised explosive device (IED) attacks on security convoys and attacks on civilians during the height of insurgency in the 1990s and early 2000s.
In November 2017, a joint ULFA-NSCN(K) ambush at Pengeri in Tinsukia killed three Army personnel and injured several others.
Security agencies have also reported repeated incidents of extortion targeting tea gardens, coal mines and local businesses in the district.
Following the split in the organisation, ULFA(I), which rejected peace talks, continued to operate from camps in Myanmar while allegedly recruiting local youths and using border areas for infiltration.
According to security agencies, grenade attacks on Army and police installations in Kakopather and Jagun between 2023 and 2025 were aimed at reviving insurgent activities in the region.
Sustained intelligence-based operations by Assam Police, Assam Rifles and central security forces have weakened the organisation’s network in recent years through arrests, surrenders and action against overground workers.
Several ULFA(I) linkmen have also been arrested in Tinsukia in recent months, while a number of cadres have surrendered.
Speaking exclusively to The Sunday Guardian, Tinsukia Superintendent of Police Mayank Kumar, IPS, described the operation as a narrowly averted tragedy.
“It was a really close call and timely intervention by security forces saved many innocent lives,” he said.
Appealing for continued public support, the SP added, “The message to the people would be to remain alert, stay cautious and assist the police whenever they have any information.”
