Assam Police foil 'mass casualty terror attack'; 2 ULFA-I cadres arrested

📌 Summary:

• Assam Police claimed to have averted a "mass casualty terror attack" by arresting two armed cadres of ULFA (Independent) at Jagun in Tinsukia district
• Arrested: self-styled 'second lieutenants' Humenjyoti Baruah (27) and Papu Moran (30); operation conducted with central agencies and security forces
• The two were allegedly tasked by ULFA-I to carry out indiscriminate firing on civilians in Tinsukia town to spread terror; police said the planned modus operandi "indicates the influence of external actors to destabilise the region"
• Seized: two AK-56 rifles, 172 rounds of ammunition, two hand grenades, food for "prolonged jungle survival", backpacks, cash and other war-like stores
• The pair were linked to earlier ULFA-I attacks, including a March attack on a police commando post at Jagun (4 personnel killed) and an army camp attack at Kakopathar
• Context: the pro-talks ULFA faction signed a tripartite peace pact with the Centre and state on December 29, 2023; the ULFA-I faction under Paresh Baruah, based in Myanmar, still resists talks without discussion on Assam's sovereignty

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS3 (Internal Security) — Northeast insurgency, cross-border sanctuaries in Myanmar, the role of external actors, and the politics of peace accords vs. holdout factions.

📝 Prelims Facts:

• ULFA = United Liberation Front of Asom; ULFA-I (Independent) is the anti-talks faction led by Paresh Baruah, operating from Myanmar
• Tripartite peace pact with the pro-talks faction was signed on December 29, 2023
• Tinsukia and Kakopathar are in upper Assam, near the Arunachal/Myanmar frontier

🔑 Key Term: Tripartite agreement — a peace accord signed jointly by an insurgent group, the state government, and the Union government to end armed conflict.