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United News of India
a day ago
- Politics
- United News of India
NIA takes custody of top ULFA(I) leader Rupam Asom, reopens long-dormant insurgency cases
Guwahati, June 24 (UNI) The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has formally taken custody of United Liberation Front of Asom (Independent) brigadier Rupam Asom, also known by his real name Kant Borah, intensifying its probe. The senior ULFA(I) commander, apprehended by Tinsukia police earlier this week, was handed over to the NIA after preliminary questioning. He is currently being interrogated at the agency's Sonapur office near Guwahati. Officials confirmed that he has been undergoing sustained questioning over the past three days. Rupam Asom is believed to have played a key role in multiple incidents of armed violence, including murder, abduction, and attacks on security forces, particularly in Upper Assam. His name figures prominently in several NIA case files, many of which had gone cold due to his prolonged period of hiding in camps across the Indo-Myanmar border. Sources within the security establishment suggest that his capture marks a critical breakthrough in the agency's multi-pronged crackdown on insurgent groups operating in the Northeast. With his formal custody now secured, the NIA has reopened several stalled investigations related to the outfit's violent activities over the past decade. The agency is especially interested in uncovering details about ULFA(I)'s transborder linkages, especially with other Northeast-based insurgent groups and networks in Myanmar and China. His interrogation, officials believe, could shed light on arms procurement routes, financial channels, and the group's recent recruitment drives targeting vulnerable youth in Assam's rural districts. Though the NIA has yet to formally announce the specific charges under which Rupam Asom will be produced in court, officials said new developments are expected soon. ULFA(I), led by Paresh Baruah, has continued to reject peace talks with the government, unlike the pro-talks faction that laid down arms in 2011. The group remains active in select districts and continues to maintain a presence across the porous Indo-Myanmar border. UNI XC GNK
Hindustan Times
24-05-2025
- Hindustan Times
ULFA (I) commander held near Assam-Arunachal border, firearms recovered: Police
Silchar: The Assam Police, in a joint operation with the Assam Rifles and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), have arrested a suspected commander of the banned militant group United Liberation Front of Asom (Independent), or ULFA-I, and recovered some firearms, officials said. The superintendent of police (SP), Tinsukia, Gaurav Abhijit Dilip, said that the self-styled brigadier of ULFA-I, identified as Rupam Asom, was arrested from the Lekhapani area of Tinsukia early on Saturday. 'He was involved in various extortions, arms smuggling and other activities in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. He was directly involved in the killing of a police officer, and we had been tracking him for several months,' Gaurav said. He said, based on specific inputs provided by Kolkata-based Military Intelligence, an operation was launched on Friday and the ULFA (I) commander was arrested from an area at around 4am on Saturday. During the operation, one pistol, hand grenades and some other devices were recovered. 'The operation is going on, and we are hopeful that we'll get more information about the activities and the network of this militant group in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh,' he added. The SP said that Rupom was directly involved in a militant ambush that happened in Tinsukia in 2018 where the officer-in-charge of Bordumsa police station, Bhaskar Kalita, was killed. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) investigated the matter and filed a charge-sheet naming seven ULFA (I) insurgents and Rupam Asom was one of them, according to police. Officials said that Rupam Asom had been visiting the areas near the Assam-Arunachal border frequently, and he was planning 'something big'. 'Rupom and his team were hiding in a jungle near the border and during the operation, we managed to catch him. We are searching for the others too,' a senior cop said. Additional SP(HQ), Tinsukia, Mrinmoy Das said that this is an important operation since Rupom Asom is one of the most powerful cadres of ULFA-I. 'He was leading many operations in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.'
