In a significant breakthrough for counter-insurgency operations in the Northeast, security forces have apprehended Rupam Asom, a senior leader of the banned militant outfit ULFA (Independent), during a pre-dawn operation on Saturday in a forested region along the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border.
Rupam, long considered a key operative within ULFA(I), was allegedly spearheading the group’s extortion network across eastern Assam. Intelligence sources indicate he had been overseeing the collection of illegal levies from businesses and individuals, helping fund the outfit’s underground activities.
Acting on specific intelligence inputs, security forces launched a targeted operation in the dense forest near the interstate boundary. Rupam was apprehended and a cache of arms and ammunition was recovered from the site.
“Rupam was the central figure behind ULFA(I)’s extortion activities in the eastern part of the state. His arrest is a major blow to the group’s financial backbone,” said a senior police official involved in the operation.
Rupam had previously been named in a chargesheet filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for his alleged involvement in the 2018 killing of Bhaskar Kalita, the officer-in-charge of Bordumsa Police Station. Kalita was fatally shot during an encounter with militants, an incident that sent shockwaves through the region.
Following Rupam's arrest, security forces have ramped up search operations in the bordering areas to flush out remaining ULFA(I) operatives believed to be hiding in the dense forests. Authorities remain on high alert amid concerns that other high-ranking members may still be operating in the region.
The arrest marks a significant milestone in the crackdown against insurgent groups in Assam and officials say more coordinated actions are planned to dismantle the remnants of ULFA(I)’s presence in the state.
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