Grenade Attack on Army Camp, Three Soldiers Critically Injured

Unknown assailants attacked a camp of the 19 Grenadiers unit of the Indian Army in Assam with a grenade.

Unknown assailants launched a grenade attack on a camp of the 19 Grenadiers Unit of the Indian Army in the Kakopathar area of Assam's Tinsukia district late Thursday night. The attack was accompanied by loud gunfire and several grenade explosions, spreading panic in the region. Three army personnel were critically injured in the exchange, which lasted for about an hour.

Soldiers in Critical Condition

According to security agencies, the attackers hurled grenades from the vicinity of the camp, prompting an immediate retaliatory response from the army. The injured soldiers were rushed to a nearby hospital, where their condition is reported to be critical. The army and local police have jointly cordoned off the area and launched a search operation to apprehend the attackers.

Attackers Fled Towards Myanmar Border

Preliminary investigations suggest that the assailants used a truck, which was later found abandoned in the Tengapani area of Arunachal Pradesh. Authorities believe the attackers have fled into the dense forests near the Myanmar border.

Suspicion on Paresh Baruah

While no organisation has claimed responsibility for the attack yet, local intelligence sources suspect a joint group of the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA-Independent) led by Paresh Baruah and the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-K-YA). Both these organisations have been held responsible for similar incidents in Upper Assam previously.

Who is Paresh Baruah?

Paresh Baruah, born in 1957 and also known as Paresh Asom, is a prominent militant leader from Assam and a founding member and current chairman of the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA). Born in Jarchakali village of Dibrugarh district in Assam, Baruah gained fame as a football player in his youth. However, after the formation of ULFA in 1979, he plunged into armed struggle demanding the independence and sovereignty of Assam.

He led the organisation's military wing and directed several attacks against the government, leading to decades of violence in Assam. He had been living in exile in Bangladesh since 2008, where he was sentenced to death in 2014 for arms smuggling. However, this sentence was recently commuted to 14 years' imprisonment in 2025. Remaining separate from the peace accord with the main faction of ULFA, Baruah still insists on negotiations regarding sovereignty and remains a significant security threat to India due to his alleged links with countries like China and Pakistan.

Previous Attack Also Occurred

This incident follows a recent attack on an Assam Rifles camp in the Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh, in which four soldiers were injured. The increasing activity of militants in Assam remains a cause for concern. The state government and the Centre have strongly condemned this incident and assured the security forces of all possible assistance to apprehend the attackers.