Security forces in Arunachal Pradesh and Upper Assam have dismantled key insurgent support networks in a series of intelligence-based operations, with the Assam Rifles apprehending a NSCN (Khango) militant and an overground worker in Changlang district, and the Indian Army's Red Shield Gunners netting a ULFA (I) cadre along with ten overground workers across eastern Assam districts, defence officials said on Tuesday, 29 April 2025.

Changlang Operation: Key Arrests

Acting on specific intelligence inputs, the Assam Rifles launched a well-coordinated operation in the Rima-Putok circle of Changlang district, successfully apprehending Kamnong Pangtha, a Naga militant affiliated with NSCN (Khango), and Gopang Negimu, an overground worker based in Changlang. A defence spokesman confirmed that internal sources corroborated the intelligence before the operation was launched.

Preliminary investigations revealed that both individuals were actively involved in extortion activities and played a significant role in recruiting local youth into insurgent ranks, primarily across the Changlang and Jairampur areas.

Factional Defection Plot Uncovered

Further investigation indicated that the overground worker was reportedly attempting to facilitate the defection of cadres from the NSCN (Khango) faction to the rival NSCN (Angmai) faction within the Rima-Putok circle. According to officials, this effort was aimed at strengthening the cadre base and operational influence of the NSCN (Angmai) faction in the region — highlighting the ongoing factional dynamics and internal realignments among insurgent groups in Arunachal Pradesh. Notably, such inter-factional poaching operations are a recurring feature of the Northeast's insurgent landscape and complicate peace processes.

Both the apprehended militant and the overground worker, along with their belongings, have been handed over to local police authorities for further investigation and necessary legal action.

Upper Assam: ULFA (I) Cadre, Drug Links Busted

In a separate but related development, a series of joint operations conducted throughout April 2025 by the Indian Army's Red Shield Gunners, under the aegis of Spear Corps, in coordination with Assam Police, achieved significant results across Upper Assam districts — including Tinsukia, Charaideo, and Sivasagar.

These operations, based on precise technical and human intelligence inputs, led to the apprehension of one ULFA (I) cadre, ten overground workers, and four drug dealers with established links to anti-national elements. Security forces also recovered narcotics during the operations, the defence spokesman said. This is consistent with a well-documented pattern in the region where insurgent financing is increasingly intertwined with drug trafficking networks.

Significance of Coordinated Security Response

The back-to-back operations across two states underscore the Centre's push for synergised, intelligence-driven action against insurgent networks in the Northeast. According to the official statement, sustained joint efforts by the Indian Army and Assam Police continue to play a crucial role in curbing the recruitment of local youth into anti-national groups and in strengthening the social fabric across Upper Assam.

With factional realignments among Naga groups and ULFA (I)'s persistent overground network posing twin security challenges, officials indicate that intelligence-sharing between the Army, Assam Rifles, and state police forces will remain central to the region's security architecture in the months ahead.