ULFA "commander" shot dead in Asom encounter

Guwahati, May 5 (UNI) A self-styled ULFA commander was killed in an encounter with J&K Rifles and Karbi Anglong Police at Sunpura village under Howraghat police station late last night, police here said today.

They said acting on a tip-off, the joint team conducted a search operation in the area. On spotting a group of some two to three persons moving in a suspicious manner, the security personnel challenged them to stop.

However, the group opened fired at them, forcing the security personnel to retaliate.

The encounter continued for about 15 minutes, in which one militant, Raj Kalita alias Bipul Choudury, was killed, the police added.

The others, however, managed to escape in the cover of darkness.

One 9 mm semi-automatic pistol, six rounds of 9 mm ammunition and one magazine of AK-47 rifle were recovered from the area, the police said.

Rajiv Kalita, a lieutenant in the UlFA, was the mastermind behind the January 6 bomb blast during the KA Autonomous council elections in which seven polling staff, including three policemen were killed.

The ULFA had carried out the blast in close cooperation with the outlawed Karbi Longri Nationalist Liberation Front (KLNLF).

Last night's encounter was in succession to a number of anti-insurgency operations in Karbi Anglong district. The heavy security deployment across Upper Asom had compelled the ULFA cadres to shift base to this district, from where they could proceed to Myanmar, through Nagaland.

The police, however, claimed that the militants had no respite in the hilly terrain here and the intensified operation had led to major success.

The 'second lieutenant' of the 27th battalion of the ULFA, Biplav Changmai, was killed in an encounter with police on February 7 A camp of the same battalion, operating in Karbi Anglong, was busted on March 6 and two other camps on April 21 in joint operations by the police, Army and the CRPF.

Six hardcore cadres were also arrested during one of the raids on April 21.

UNI