Suspected militants launched a pre-dawn rocket attack on an Assam Police Commando Battalion camp at 10th Mile in Jagun, under Tinsukia district, in the early hours of Sunday — sending a jolt through Upper Assam just days before the state goes to the polls.
The attack took place at around 2:00 AM, with assailants firing four to five Rocket-Propelled Grenades (RPGs) from concealed positions before slipping away under cover of darkness.
According to preliminary reports, the strike was swift and coordinated. The RPG fire triggered a sustained exchange of gunfire, pointing to a direct engagement between the militants and security personnel at the camp.
Four Assam Police commandos were injured and have been shifted to Assam Medical College and Hospital (AMCH) in Dibrugarh. Hospital sources say one of the injured is in serious condition.
Authorities are still assessing the full extent of damage to the camp.
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Sources have identified the four injured personnel as:
Chitranjan Milli — Jorhat
Robin Ghosh — Chabua, Dibrugarh
Jimbus Marak — Goalpara
Devashish Bora — Jorhat
The banned United Liberation Front of Asom (Independent) later claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was carried out as part of a planned operation it called "Operation Bujoni."
In a statement, ULFA(I) said it had avoided targeting Assam Police since 2021 but resumed armed action due to what it described as repeated killings of its cadres and intensified operations by security forces.
The group also alleged that a July 2025 offensive under the Unified Command Structure involved drone and missile strikes on its camps, resulting in the loss of senior leadership. These claims have not been independently verified.
Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma reacted sharply to the development.
"This act is highly condemnable. Police and the army have launched counter-insurgency operations. I think those who've done this will certainly be apprehended," he told the media.
Security forces have since launched extensive search and counter-insurgency operations across the region, and the entire belt has been placed on high alert.
The attack site sits along the Jagun–Jairampur–Nampong–Manmao corridor, close to the Assam–Arunachal Pradesh border — a route with a documented history of insurgent movement and similar strikes.
The area has also seen earlier incidents of kidnapping of local businessmen and extortion activity, particularly around nearby stone crushers, tea estates, and a wheat mill.
Local residents have raised questions about the decision to use a reportedly deserted structure — situated near dense forest cover and water bodies — as a commando camp, pointing to its vulnerability to ambush.
With Assam's Assembly election scheduled for April 9, the timing of the attack has sharpened concerns about attempts to destabilise the security environment in the run-up to polling day.
Officials have not yet issued a detailed formal response. Search operations are ongoing, and the situation across Upper Assam remains tense.