New Delhi (Agency): In a significant development, a former member of the United Liberation Front of Assam (Independent) or ULFA(I) was arrested for allegedly recruiting young individuals to join the banned outfit in Tinsukia district. The police, acting on information about a recruitment drive launched by the ULFA(I) in certain districts of the state, conducted an operation in Tinsukia last month, leading to the arrest.
The Additional Superintendent of Police, Bibhas Das, stated that the police had earlier arrested two link persons, identified as Jumon Bora and Sashanka Rajkhowa, from whom they had recovered a list of 17 names targeted for recruitment to the outfit. Based on their interrogation, the police apprehended another person, identified as Surojit Gogoi, who claimed to be a former member of the ULFA(I).
Police authorities claimed that they have gathered information that Gogoi had been in contact with several young people and had been trying to convince them to join the banned outfit. This arrest sheds light on the ongoing recruitment efforts of militant groups in certain districts of Assam, raising concerns about the security situation in the region.
The United Liberation Front of Assam (Independent) is a proscribed militant organization that has been involved in armed insurgency in the northeastern state of Assam. The group seeks to establish an independent state for the Assamese people through armed struggle and has been responsible for numerous violent incidents in the past.
In recent times, there have been reports of the ULFA(I) launching a recruitment drive in the Upper Assam districts of Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, and Jorhat. The arrest of Gogoi and the recovery of a recruitment list indicate the group’s persistent efforts to attract new members to its ranks.