ULFA-I claim: To cover up failure police is arresting innocent youths

Guwahati: The anti-negotiation faction of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA-Independent) condemned the Assam Police for randomly picking up youths and detaining them for questioning in connection with the latest two grenade blasts carried out by the outfit in the state.
In a public letter, the outfit said the Assam Police detained ‘innocent youth’ for questioning from various parts of Assam, including Guwahati, suspected of being part of the outfit’s latest military operation.
The military group alleged in its letter that the detained and arrested youths were not involved with ULFA-I or any military operations by the outfit in recent times.
“The complacency the Assam Police is trying to achieve by arresting these innocent youths during this period is actually an attempt by the Assam Police to cover up its own culpability and failures.Such actions by the Assam Police are condemnable,” ULFA-I said in its public letter.

Two blasts rocked Assam in recent weeks, with the first occurring on November 22 in the Tinsukia district, and the second on December 9 near the Jaisagar CRPF camp in Sivsagar district.

The first blast, allegedly carried out by two unidentified men on a motorcycle who hurled a grenade near an army camp, was initially suspected to be the work of ULFA-I by the police. However, the group only claimed responsibility after the second blast.

Fortunately, no injuries were reported in the December 9 attack. These violent incidents have served as a grim reminder of Assam’s insurgency in the 1990s. Despite the Union home ministry’s assertion that the insurgency in Assam is under control, leading to the removal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act in some areas, the districts affected by these recent attacks remain under the Act.