Assam I-Day 2024 IED plot: NIA chargesheets two more, accused count rises to 5

New Delhi, Jan 10: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has chargesheeted two additional accused in the Assam Independence Day IED seizure case of 2024, taking the total number of accused in the case to five.

In a supplementary chargesheet filed before the NIA special court in Guwahati on Friday, the anti-terror agency indicted Bhargab Gogoi and Sumu Gogoi.

The two accused, both residents of Dibrugarh district, were arrested by the NIA in June 2025, after the agency took over the case from the Dispur police in September 2024.

The NIA had earlier chargesheeted three other accused in the case in June last year.

According to the NIA, investigations revealed that Bhargab Gogoi and Sumu Gogoi had provided terror funds to chargesheeted accused Jahnu Boruah, who allegedly confessed to planting four of the 11 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) seized by police in August 2024.

The IEDs were allegedly planted as part of a protest and Independence Day boycott call issued by United Liberation Front of Asom (Independent), ULFA(I), chief Paresh Baruah, officials said.

The case was initially registered by the Assam Police at Dispur police station, relating to an alleged conspiracy by the banned outfit ULFA(I) to wage war against the Government of India by attempting to carry out multiple IED blasts across Assam.

The investigation traces its origins to the run-up to Independence Day on August 15, 2024, when ULFA(I) claimed responsibility for planting explosives at several locations across the state as part of the boycott call.

At the time, police and intelligence inputs suggested that explosives had been planted at over 20 locations, including eight sites in Guwahati, triggering heightened security alerts across Assam.

Following the initial arrests and investigation by the Assam Police, including the detention of multiple suspects and alleged linkmen from different districts, the case was handed over to the NIA in September 2024 due to its terror links and inter-district ramifications.

Subsequent probes led to the arrest of Jahnu Boruah, who allegedly confessed to planting multiple devices, and to the identification of financial conduits linked to the conspiracy.

Earlier, Paresh Baruah, along with Abhijit Gogoi alias Abhijeet Gogoi and Jahnu Boruah alias Arnob Asom alias Huntu, was chargesheeted on June 13, 2025, under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, and the Explosive Substances Act, before a court in Guwahati.

With the filing of the supplementary chargesheet, the NIA has now formally accused five individuals in the case, even as investigations continue to identify additional operatives and networks linked to the banned outfit’s alleged attempt to orchestrate coordinated blasts across Assam.

PTI