As Assam braces for its Independence Day celebrations, a cloud of uncertainty and tension hangs over the state, following intelligence reports of a potential attack by the United Liberation Front of Asom-Independent (ULFA-I).
Assam’s Director General of Police (DGP), GP Singh, revealed on Saturday that a unit of the banned militant outfit is planning to disrupt the festivities with an attack in the region bordering Arunachal Pradesh.
DGP on 'high alert' in ULFA-I stronghold
The top cop, who has been camping in Upper Assam—a known stronghold of ULFA-I—for the past four days, briefed the media about the ongoing security concerns.
“We have credible intelligence input that ULFA-I is planning to launch an attack to disrupt the Independence Day celebrations in Assam. A unit of the outlawed group is active along the interstate border of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. However, the state police, army, and other paramilitary forces are fully
prepared to neutralise any threat posed by the ULFA-I cadres,” Singh assured.
According to the DGP, both the state and central governments are adopting a cautious approach to prevent any possible subversive activities by the militant outfit.
“Security measures have been tightened in several areas, and we are leaving no stone unturned in our efforts to ensure a peaceful celebration,” he added.
Security beefed up in border areas
In response to the intelligence inputs, Assam Police have intensified their vigil along the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border. Reports suggest that ULFA-I militants are camping near the border, prompting heightened security measures.
“From our intelligence agencies and reports from local sources, we have learned that a ULFA-I group is camping near the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border,” the DGP said on the sidelines of a public event.
“All security agencies, including the police, army, and CRPF, are working in close coordination to neutralise any potential threat,” he said, urging the militants to refrain from any violent activities.
“We are on high alert and have intensified our vigil. We hope that the ULFA-I cadres will not disrupt the peace in the state,” he added.
Militant groups announce Independence Day shutdown
Amid the rising tension, a joint statement by the Myanmar-based NSCN-K (Yung Aung faction) and ULFA-I has declared a total shutdown on August 15 across Assam, Manipur, Nagaland, and Arunachal Pradesh.
The militant groups have rejected India’s Independence Day celebrations, terming them as “false” and imposed under military coercion.
The statement, shared by NSCN-K YA's deputy kilonser self-styled Col Joseph (Retd), announced the shutdown from 1 AM to 6 PM, with exceptions made only for emergency services, media, and religious activities.
The groups urged the people of the "Wesean region" to support the boycott by staying indoors, under the slogan "One People, One Region, One Vision."
In their statement, the groups criticised the Independence Day celebrations as a "colonialist symbol" meant to deceive the world and perpetuate the "illegal domination" of the region by India.
They alleged that India’s efforts to present an image of normalcy in the region are a facade, masking a reality of "brutal military oppression, endless human rights violations, and cruel assimilation policies."
“This imposed celebration has nothing to offer our region except a sorrowful reminder of another year under India’s brutal occupation,” the statement read, adding that August 15 will continue to be observed as a "Black Day" in the history of the Wesean revolution.
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