Two ULFA (I) members held by Arunachal Police and Assam Rifles

In a joint operation by the Khonsa Battalion of the Assam Rifles and the Arunachal Pradesh Police, two active members of the United Liberation Front of Assam-Independent (ULFA-I) group were arrested in a village called Horu Chinghan. The operation took place on the morning of April 13, 2023.
The two arrested ULFA (I) cadres have been identified as self-styled Second Lieutenant Ranju Asom, also known as Himangshu Bhuyan, and self-styled Private Orindom Asom, also known as Mahanta Baruah. Both are natives of Assam.
The ULFA (I) is reportedly trying to strengthen its presence in the Upper Assam region, making the arrest of these cadres a major breakthrough for the security forces. The past few months have seen several apprehensions and surrenders of ULFA (I) freedom-fighters in the Upper Assam and TCL regions of Arunachal Pradesh, weakening the group’s activities and ranks.
Earlier in February 2023, a senior ULFA (I) member surrendered before the police in Guwahati. A self-proclaimed major of the outfit, Babal Chandra Baruah, entered India from the group’s camp in Myanmar in February 2023. He surrendered before Additional DGP (Special Branch) Hiren Chandra Nath.
Baruah, who joined the ULFA (I) in 1997, received arms and medical training in Myanmar. From 1998, he was involved in providing arms and medical training to the group’s cadres. Between 2011 and 2019, he imparted weapons training to around 700 cadres and medical training to 150 cadres of the organization as Head of Weapons and Medical Camp at ULFA-I camp in Taga, Myanmar.