New Delhi, June 14: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed charges against three individuals, including Paresh Baruah, the leader of the banned group United Liberation Front of Asom-Independent (ULFA-I), for their involvement in a conspiracy aimed at executing multiple IED explosions in Assam during last year's Independence Day celebrations.

The charges against Baruah, along with Abhijit Gogoi (also known as Abhijeet Gogoi) and Jahnu Boruah (who goes by Arnob Asom or Huntu), were presented in a Guwahati court on Friday. They face accusations under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, and the Explosive Substances Act, according to a statement from the NIA.

The investigation revealed that the trio was connected to improvised explosive devices (IEDs) that were placed by the group at Dispur Last Gate in Guwahati. This was part of a larger ULFA-I plan to instigate multiple explosions across Assam, intending to disrupt the Independence Day festivities in 2023.

The NIA, which took over the investigation in September 2024, discovered that the IEDs were intended to inflict casualties, damage property, and undermine the unity, integrity, and sovereignty of India, while also instilling fear among the populace.

Previously, on September 26, 2024, the NIA made its first arrest in this case, apprehending Girish Bora, also known as Gautam, in relation to the placement of IED-like devices at four different sites in Guwahati during the Independence Day period.

On August 15, 2024, ULFA-I claimed responsibility for planting bombs at more than 20 locations across Assam, including eight in Guwahati. In response, law enforcement agencies recovered IED-like devices from four areas in the city: Gandhi Basti, Panbazar, Narengi, and Lastgate. Similar devices were also found in the districts of Sivasagar, Lakhimpur, Nalbari, and Nagaon.