An assassination attempt was made on Assam Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and three people, including a top ULFA peace talk faction leader, were held. The men were arrested following a “secret input” that a conspiracy was being hatched to disrupt the political situation in Assam ahead of the assembly polls, the police said.
United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) pro-talks vice president Pradip Gogoi, along with Manab Pathak and Ketu Mudi and some unidentified members of the group allegedly conspired to assassinate Assam finance minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, with the help of firearms and explosives.
“We picked up the trio last night (Monday night). Following their interrogation, we arrested all three and produced them before a court. They have been remanded in police custody for three days,” the police officer said.
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The trio have been slapped with a raft of charges under various sections of the IPC, including 120B (criminal conspiracy), 121 (attempt to wage war against the state) and section 18 (conspiracy of a terror act) of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
For the past several years, the ULFA (pro-talks) faction has been engaged in talks with the Centre.
Pradip Gogoi has previously been arrested in the past from Kolkata in 1998 and sent to Assam jail. He was released in 2010 on bail.
With inputs from agencies
