Guwahati, Oct 16 (IANS) The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has charged United Liberation Front of Asom-Independent (ULFA-I) chief Paresh Baruah and four others in connection with the recovery of an improvised explosive device (IED) planted at Panbazar in Guwahati on Independence Day in 2024, officials said on Friday.
The chargesheet was filed before the NIA Special Court in Guwahati against five accused in the case, which involves an alleged conspiracy to carry out multiple IED blasts across Assam to wage war against the Government of India and spread terror among the public.
Besides Baruah, the chairman and self-styled Commander-in-Chief of the proscribed outfit, the chargesheet names Kanak Ch Gogoi (alias Aisheng Asom), Jahnu Boruah, Bhargab Gogoi, and Sumu Gogoi.
The accused have been charged under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, and the Explosive Substances Act, 1908.
According to the NIA, the case relates to an IED planted on Motilal Nehru Road in the Panbazar area of Guwahati on August 15, 2024. The agency alleged that the accused were involved in a conspiracy to execute multiple explosions at different locations across Assam.
The planned attacks were allegedly intended to cause casualties, injure people, and damage or destroy property, besides threatening India’s unity, integrity, security, and sovereignty.
The agency further stated that the alleged conspiracy was aimed at striking terror among people in the country.
The case was initially registered at Panbazar Police Station in Guwahati on August 16, 2024, under Case No. 202/2024, a day after the recovery of the suspected explosive device.
The NIA subsequently re-registered the case on February 27, 2025, as RC-01/2025/NIA/GUW and took over the investigation into the alleged conspiracy and the roles of the accused.
The chargesheet marks a significant development in the investigation into the suspected ULFA (I)-linked IED plot in Assam. The NIA said further investigation in the case is ongoing.
ULFA (I), a proscribed organisation led by Paresh Baruah, has long been associated with armed separatist activities in Assam.
–IANS
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