NIA files charge sheet against ULFA-I chief Paresh Baruah, 5 others

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday filed a charge sheet against ULFA-I chief Paresh Baruah and five others for conspiring to target army camps as part of an anti-India agenda, the central agency said. 

They have been charged for various criminal offences in a 2023 case involving a terror attack on an army camp by the proscribed terrorist organisation in Assam, the NIA said in a statement. 

"Myanmar-based United Liberation Front of Asom-Independent (ULFA-I), a banned terrorist outfit, had hatched the conspiracy and planned the execution of the attack, in which two motorcycle-borne youth had lobbed two grenades at the army camp in Kakopathar in Tinsukia district of Assam on the evening of 22nd November 2023," it said. 

No one was injured in the assault, which was part of a bigger conspiracy to kill or injure army personnel through a series of grenade attacks on army camps across the state, the probe agency said. 

"In its charge sheet filed today before NIA special court, Guwahati, the agency has named Paresh Baruah, the self-styled (SS) chief of the banned organisation, along with SS Brigadier Arunudoy Dohutia, SS 2nd Lt Saurav Asom, SS Captain Abhijit Gogoi alias Aisheng Asom, and two others, identified as Parag Borah and Bijoy Moran, as the key conspirators and executors of the attack," it said. 

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Parag and Bijoy were arrested in early December last year from Tinsukia district while the other accused are absconding. The charge sheet, which has exposed the deep rooted conspiracy hatched by the top leadership of ULFA-I "from across the international border", has been filed under relevant sections of Indian Penal Code, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and Explosives Substances Act, the NIA said.   

Through the charge sheet, a terror network of recruitment, training camps and execution of terrorist attacks has come to light as part of the conspiracy, aimed at the banned outfit’s nefarious, anti-India separatist agenda, it said.   

Investigations by NIA, which had taken over the case earlier from Assam Police, revealed that Paresh Baruah alias Paresh Asom and Arunudoy Dohutia alias Arunodoi Asom alias Iqbal alias Ramya Mech alias Bijit Gogoi had masterminded the conspiracy, the statement said. The duo had deputed Suresh Gogoi alias Saurav Asom and another cadre to carry out multiple terrorist attacks on army camps in Assam, it said.   

It was further found that Abhijeet Gogoi alias Kanak Gogoi alias Rumel Asom alias Aicheng Asom alias Aishang Asom had coordinated the entire planning, preparation and execution of the attack in the instant case, the NIA said. 

He had conspired with Bijoy Moran alias Ipul alias Gandi, an overground worker (OGW) of ULFA-I, and recruited local youth to help in executing the terrorist attack, it said.   According to NIA investigations, ULFA-I had been using social media platforms for recruitment of vulnerable youth into the organisation, followed by their training for terrorist activities. 

The proscribed outfit was involved in planning and executing terror attacks in furtherance of its extremist and separatist ideology, the anti-terror probe agency said.   

Investigations are in progress to identify other conspirators and associates of the accused involved in the attack, and to expose the complete terror network, it added.