OUR CORRESPONDENT
DIGBOI: In a brazen attempt to disturb the atmosphere surrounding Independence Day, suspected cadres of ULFA-Independent (ULFA-I) and NSCN-K (Yung Aung) opened fire on an Assam Rifles camp at Longvi under Nampong police station in Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh in the early hours of Friday, triggering retaliatory fire and a search operation along the sensitive Indo-Myanmar frontier.
The attack occurred around 3.15 am, barely hours before the nation prepares to celebrate its 80th Independence Day. Assam Rifles personnel retaliated, forcing the attackers to flee into nearby jungle, officials said. No casualties have been reported so far, while security forces have intensified surveillance and launched a search operation to track the suspected militants.
The suspected involvement of ULFA-I and NSCN-KYA is based on preliminary inputs and has not been independently confirmed through an official claim of responsibility. The identities of the attackers and the precise circumstances surrounding the firing are being investigated.
Friday’s incident also comes against the backdrop of repeated armed challenges to security forces in Changlang. On January 26, an Assam Rifles camp at Ranglom came under heavy firing and explosions, with the NSCN/GPRN (Yung Aung) claiming responsibility.
The frontier witnessed another gunfight in March, when an Assam Rifles soldier was injured during an exchange of fire along the India-Myanmar border in Changlang.
The latest assault comes amid sustained pressure on ULFA-I and various NSCN factions through armed operations, arrests, and surrender initiatives. The pressure extends beyond Changlang to adjoining areas of Assam, particularly Tinsukia, which shares a sensitive frontier with Arunachal Pradesh.
In June, two suspected ULFA-I cadres were arrested at Jagun in Tinsukia district, with police recovering two AK-56 rifles, 172 rounds of ammunition, grenades, and other war-like stores.
The counter-insurgency pressure was also evident in neighbouring Arunachal Pradesh. On August 8, four ULFA-I cadres surrendered to Assam Rifles in Longding, handing over weapons, ammunition, and other war-like stores.
Meanwhile, security forces have intensified round-the-clock patrolling, area domination, and surveillance across sensitive inter-state pockets and routes considered susceptible to militant movement.
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