ULFA-I, NSCN carry out mortar attack in Arunachal's Pangsau Pass and Saramati in Nagaland

United Liberation Front of Assam (Independent) and National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) jointly carried out an ambush at Pangsau Pass, Changlang district in Arunachal Pradesh today morning. Sources claim that the banned outfits attacked the patrolling troops of the Assam Rifles in Pangsau Pass. Official sources confirm that the Assam Rifles troops were undertaking enhanced patrolling activities in view of the heightened vigil for the forthcoming Independence Day when the attack was carried out by the banned outfits.

As per top official sources, the insurgents also targeted another army camp in Arunachal's Nakano region. In the meanwhile, a subset of the same militant gang also attacked an army camp in Saramati, Nagaland. Sources claim that the militants used mortars to attack the army camp at Pangsou Pass and Saramati while engaging in heavy firing in Nakano.

One Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) has sustained minor injury in his hand while no other injuries or casualties have been reported at the ambush site.

“Enhanced surveillance by own troops to continue,” stated a press release by Lt Col AS Walia, PRO (Defence), Tezpur.

The attack comes just days after the banned outfits issued a boycott call of the Independence Day celebrations and also for a bandh on the day. The group had announced a unilateral ceasefire in May of last year amid Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's continuous attempts to engage ULFA-(I) in dialogue and for the elusive peace deal.

ULFA-I in a statement on Saturday stated, “The Covid-19 pandemic has crippled the socio-economic development of the entire world as well as our WeSEA (Western South East Asia) region and thousands of indigenous farming families have lost their homes due to floods and landslides. Human resources are wasted due to inadequate utilization and consequently living with self respect and dignity is now far from reality.”

It added, “After 75 years of so called independence, the indigenous are suffering from debt, GST, soaring prices of essential commodities and a hundred other problems. It is unfair, historically irrelevant, and worthless for a state, which is unable to stand by the suffering of people in such a time declining living standards to celebrate its 76th Independence Day.”

The statement further added that the bandh won’t be applicable in emergency departments, media and religious activities.