Golaghat (Assam), 28 June (HS): Police arrested Ankur Das, the prime accused in the recent grenade attack on the CRPF camp at Panbari, from Dergaon. Police said on Saturday that this important arrest has been made in a joint operation of Bokakhat police and district administration.

Three Assam Police personnel - Siddharth Barbora, Sushil Bhumij and Mintu Hazarika - were seriously injured in the blast on June 24. They were immediately admitted to Bokakhat Civil Hospital.

In the initial investigation, the police suspected the role of local hunters and drug smugglers, but the investigation took a new turn after Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma pointed to a possible link with a banned organization like ULFA (I).

The state Director General of Police (DGP) Harmit Singh while giving information to the media said that the matter is being investigated from every angle. He did not confirm whether the grenade was thrown through a vehicle, but suspected the involvement of Ankur Das and Rupjyoti Das.

So far, a total of six people have been arrested in this case. These include Ankur Das (main accused) – Bokakhat, Rupjyoti Das – Bokakhat, Bhavesh Kalita – Tezpur, Sanjeev Barua – Lakhimpur and Pankaj Das and Kaku Das – (brothers of Ankur Das).

All the accused have been sent to judicial custody. The police are continuously interrogating them to find out possible militant links or any larger conspiracy.

In view of the incident, security arrangements have been tightened in Bokakhat and surrounding areas.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Sriprakash