From Our Correspondent
Guwahati: Assam police on Friday arrested four youth including a ULFA (anti-talks faction) militant who recently sneaked into the State from Myanmar through Arunachal Pradesh, for triggering grenade explosions in Lakhimpur town of eastern Assam bordering Arunachal Pradesh on July 23 evening.
Another grenade was exploded at Bakalighat in Karbi Anglong hill district on July 24 in which one person died and several others injured.
Assam Police suspects that the ULFA (Independent), the new name of the anti-talks faction led by fugitive leader Paresh Barua, and a breakaway faction of outlawed National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) led by its leader Sangbijit have struck coordination to carry out attacks in the State.
Both the groups are now based in Myanmar jungles.
One of the four youths who were arrested by police in connection with July 23 grenade blasts, has confessed that he was a member of the ULFA (I) and was involved in carrying those grenades to Assam from Myanmar through Arunachal Pradesh and detonated the same.
Police also recovered an improvised Explosive Device (IED) from near a bridge on the NH 52 in Darrnag district on Friday.
The series of grenade explosions has been termed by the police as an attempt by the ULFA (I) to make its presence felt around its ‘swahid divas’ (martyrs day) on July 27 last.
An alert has been sounded in Assam apprehending more attempts by the outfit to carry out subversions to make its presence felt.
The state police had information that a group of ULFA militants armed with weapons and explosive devices have sneaked into the State from its Myanmar base through Arunachal Pradesh.
However, the leader of the group was apprehended by the police after he had entered the State.
Meanwhile, chief minister Tarun Gogoi who also holds the Home portfolio has cancelled his official trip to South Africa in view of renewed belligerence shown by the extremists after lying low for quite some time.
The trip was scheduled from July 25 to August 2.