Assam: Security Forces Intensify Operations After Arrest of ULFA(I) Commander Rupam Asom
Rupam Asom, a key operational leader of the ULFA(I) and a senior figure in the group’s 779 camp, was apprehended in a joint operation..........
DIBRUGARH ( By Anil Poddar )- In a major breakthrough against insurgency in Northeast India, security forces have intensified search operations in the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border forests following the arrest of ULFA(I)’s self-styled Brigadier Rupam Asom, one of the top commanders of the banned militant outfit.
Rupam Asom, a key operational leader of the ULFA(I) and a senior figure in the group’s 779 camp, was apprehended in a joint operation around 4 AM on May 24 in the Tinkopani area of Jagun, Tinsukia district. The operation was led by the Assam Police, Assam Rifles, and Military Intelligence, based on specific intelligence inputs from Military Intelligence, Kolkata.
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At the time of arrest, he was found in possession of a pistol and a hand grenade, indicating possible plans for future attacks. Sources confirmed he had been hiding in the dense forest belt along the Assam-Arunachal border with a group of loyal operatives.
Security officials described Rupam Asom as a notorious militant, involved in extortion, recruitment, and violent operations across eastern Assam. He has long been on the radar for his alleged role in the 2018 killing of Officer-in-Charge Bhaskar Kalita during an encounter in Bordumsa, for which the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had already charge-sheeted him and six others.
Under his leadership, ULFA(I) had reportedly been running a major extortion racket in the Bordumsa and Margherita regions, targeting businesses and local contractors.
In response to actionable intelligence suggesting more ULFA(I) cadres are still at large, especially in remote border terrain, search operations have been ramped up significantly, with drone surveillance, canine units, and special forces deployed to trace remnants of the insurgent network.
A senior official said,
“With the arrest of Rupam Asom, we have dealt a major blow to ULFA(I)’s command structure in Assam. Our focus now is to dismantle any remaining sleeper cells and eliminate the group’s presence in the region.”
Security has been heightened across sensitive areas in upper Assam, and coordination between state and central agencies remains on high alert.
