Tinsukia: A hardcore cadre of the banned ULFA was slain during an encounter with the security agencies on Friday afternoon at Kakopathar in the Tinsukia district.
The slain cadre has been identified as Gyan Axom, who was sheltering along with five other cadres at a house in Dopather Majgaon village in Kakopather, close to the Arunachal border.
According to official sources, the rebel was shot dead during a fierce gun battle between the militants and security agencies.
Based on a tip-off regarding the presence of an ULFA team in the village, the Army and the police launched a search operation. Sensing the imminent threat, the militant group led by its commander Rupom Axom resorted to a grenade attack upon the security forces that were approaching the house in which the cadres were hiding.
In the subsequent retaliation by security forces, Gyan Axom was killed. Unconfirmed sources also claim that another cadre has sustained a bullet injury during the crossfire. Later, they managed to escape through the backyard of the house.
Meanwhile, security forces recovered two backpacks containing edible items left behind by the cadres during their escape. An IED weighing around 5 kg was also reportedly recovered from the site. The corpse of the deceased is still lying on the encounter site till the filing this report.
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