RANGIA, Dec 25: A suspected ULFA (Independent) linkman was injured in a police firing while allegedly attempting to escape from custody in Assam’s Kamrup (Rural) district on Monday, an officer said.
The police had raided the house of Pranjal Das alias Bhelu in Baihata Chariali area on Sunday night and recovered a flag of the outfit, following which he was taken into custody, Kamrup (Rural) superintendent of police Hitesh Roy said.
Das tried to escape from police custody in New Market area and the police opened fire in which he was injured on Monday. He was admitted to the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital for treatment.
Related Posts:
The SP said that Das was a close associate of another ULFA(I) linkman, Ashim Adhikary, arrested in Guwahati last week for allegedly recruiting cadres to the outfit.
He was allegedly involved in hoisting the outfit’s flag at Baihata Chariali recently, the SP added.
Meanwhile, director general of police G P Singh warned that initiation of violence by a banned organisation was unacceptable.
He said ‘Our initial plan, after the first grenade blast, was peace and conflict resolution through discussion’.
‘However, our peace initiative was taken as a weakness and further violence was committed. We still believe that peace and conflict resolution is the best way ahead but, initiation of violence from a banned organisation is unacceptable’, Singh posted on ‘X’.
The incident occurred a day after a suspected ULFA(I) cadre and three youths, who were allegedly en route to join the banned outfit, were injured in two separate incidents of police firing at Sivasagar and Tinsukia respectively when they attempted to escape from police custody.
The ULFA (I), however, claimed in an e-mail statement to the media that Das and the three youths, who were injured in police firing were not involved with the outfit.
Earlier, three suspected ULFA(I) linkmen were arrested from a house in Guwahati last week, close on the heels of recent blasts in three major towns of Tinsukia, Sivasagar and Jorhat.
Following the recent incidents by the ULFA(I), the police have stepped up security and intensified patrolling across the state. (PTI)
