Assam Police honor IPS Ravi Kant Singh, killed in 1996 ULFA attack

Guwahati: Assam Police on Thursday paid tribute to IPS Ravi Kant Singh, an officer who was killed in Tinsukia in 1996 during operations against insurgent groups.

In a post on X, the police said, "Remembering Ravi Kant Singh, IPS, who made the Supreme Sacrifice in Tinsukia in 1996 while confronting extremism. His service demonstrated duty, integrity, and commitment."

Singh had led multiple operations against ULFA hideouts across the Tinsukia district. On the day of his death, suspected ULFA militants ambushed his vehicle, first firing a mortar and then shooting with automatic weapons. Singh and four of his bodyguards were killed.

This was the first time in seven years that ULFA had killed a senior police officer, the previous being D.S. Negi, Superintendent of Police of Dibrugarh, in 1989.

The following day, suspected SULFA members shot Parag Das, a human rights activist and executive editor of Asomiya Pratidin, resulting in his death.

In recent years, attacks have continued in Assam, including a suspected ULFA (I) attack on the Kakopathar Army Camp in Tinsukia, the killing of a member from the outfit in Kordoiguri (Tinsukia) by Assam Rifles in neighboring Namsai district of Arunachal Pradesh, subsequent combing operations in rural areas, and an IED blast in Kokrajhar.

These incidents have raised security concerns in Upper Assam and the Bodoland Territorial Region.

The police tribute to Singh serves as a reminder of ongoing challenges related to insurgency.

Observers have also raised questions about why some indigenous Assamese youths join groups like ULFA (I) and whether the state and Central governments have addressed long-standing issues such as unemployment, poverty, and illiteracy in rural areas.