Tinsukia: A former leader of the All Assam Students Union (AASU) from upper Assam Biju Gogoi, who allegedly joined ULFA (Independent) during the 2019 Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests, was found dead with bullet injuries at an Ulfa (I) camp in Myanmar in February this year, said one of the cadres of the outfit arrested by a joint team of Tinsukia police and Assam Rifles on Tuesday evening.
The cadre, identified as Santosh Lama alias Apu Asom, 24, was arrested near Biri Basti under the Jagun police outpost in the Tinsukia district.
Talking to journalists, the Superintendent of Tinsukia Police, Debojit Deuri, said that based on a secret input about the movements of an Ulfa (I) cadre who have crossed over from Myanmar, a joint operation was launched and one Santosh Lama has been arrested. “Lama, who joined Ulfa (I) in 2021, was imparted training at one of Ulfa’s camps in Myanmar.”
“In an important revelation, Lama has informed that he saw the dead body of Biju Gogoi, former AASU leader who went missing during CAA protests and later it was confirmed that he joined the banned outfit, lying in a pool of blood with bullet injuries at the camp,” Deuri said, “His body was later disposed of by Ulfa (I), an information that has come to us for the first time.”
Deuri added that Lama took training in a batch of 35 cadres, an important revelation which authenticates reports of several youths joining Ulfa (I) in the last year.
Meanwhile, a husband-wife couple from the Tinsukia district has been missing since May 5 and is suspected to have joined Ulfa (I).
Deuri said the movement of the couple, who left behind a 4-year old daughter, was last traced to Mon district in Nagaland, indicating that they might have headed to join Ulfa (I). However, we cannot confirm the development till it is corroborated.
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