Dibrugarh: Tinsukia police arrested seven alleged linkmen of the Ulfa (I) from various parts of the district on Saturday night, dealing a potential blow to the outfit’s ground-level support network in the region.The arrests were carried out simultaneously across multiple locations in coordinated operations, reflecting the scale of the intelligence-driven crackdown. According to police, they are suspected of maintaining sustained communication with ULFA (I) operatives over an extended period, providing ground-level information and crucial logistical support that helped keep the outfit’s network functional.The seven have been identified as Barlin Neog of Bordumsa; Mithu Gohain and Lilambar Moran, both residents of Pengeri; Bikash Deka of Kakopathar; and Manob Dey of Makum. Two others — Shiba Deb and Paritosh Deb — arrested from Tinsukia, hail from Miao in neighboring Arunachal Pradesh, indicating that the alleged network extended beyond Assam’s borders.Tinsukia senior superintendent of police Mayank Kumar confirmed the arrests and said the investigation is actively progressing. “The accused are currently under interrogation. We are working to determine the full extent of their involvement and identify any deeper links within the organization’s network,” SSP Kumar said.The operation comes just days after the Assam assembly elections held on April 9, with security forces apparently moving swiftly once polling concluded. Saturday’s crackdown suggests that intelligence agencies had been tracking the alleged network for some time, waiting for the right operational window to act.The arrests also follow a sharp escalation in ULFA (I) activity in the region in recent weeks. On March 22, four Assam Police commandos were injured when Ulfa (I) militants launched a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) attack on a police commando camp in Jagun, near the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border in Tinsukia district. The assailants fired multiple grenades before engaging security forces in a prolonged gunfight. The outfit later claimed responsibility for the assault, dubbing it “Operation Bujoni”.The timing of the latest arrests is further significant, given that ULFA marked its 47th raising day on April 7 — just four days before the crackdown. The organization was founded on that date in 1979 at the historic ramparts of Rang Ghar in Sivasagar.Tinsukia district, which shares a sensitive border with Arunachal Pradesh and lies close to Myanmar, has long served as a strategic corridor for ULFA (I) operations. Saturday’s coordinated arrests suggest that security forces are intensifying efforts to choke off the outfit’s support infrastructure in the area.Further arrests are not being ruled out as the interrogation of the seven detainees continues.
