A group of young Assamese men met in Sivasagar’s Rang Ghar. It was the late 1970s, and they believed Assam was not receiving its due from the Central government. The only way to claim what was rightfully theirs was through a separate political path, they believed.
On April 7, 1979, they formed the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) with the goal of creating an independent Assam, free from the Central government’s control. Over the next decade, the group grew from a fringe militant organisation into a major political and security challenge in the state. They were involved in killings, kidnappings, extortion, and clashed with security forces.
ULFA was founded by young Assamese men, including Arabinda Rajkhowa, Paresh Baruah, and Anup Chetia. The group framed itself as a defender of Assamese identity and a fighter against perceived exploitation by the central government. Many of its founders had been active in student organisations such as the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) and Assam Jatiyatabadi Yuva Chatra Parishad (AJYCP), which campaigned against illegal immigration and promoted Assamese nationalism.
Initially low-profile, ULFA gained attention in 1983 during the Assam Agitation, enforcing election boycotts with AASU and later claiming armed struggle was essential for Assam’s liberation. The agitation (1979-1985), led by student groups, protested against illegal immigration from Bangladesh through strikes and demonstrations.
The 1983 assembly elections, held despite the unrest and boycott calls, ended in the Nellie massacre, where nearly 2,000 Bengali Muslims were killed in Nagaon.
The agitation ended with the Assam Accord in 1985, which said anyone who came after March 25, 1971, will be treated as an illegal immigrant.
ULFA leveraged public discontent over economic marginalisation. They said that Assam’s resources, oil, tea, timber, and forest wealth, were being exploited without fair compensation or local development.
Under the Asom Gana Parishad government, formed in 1985, ULFA expanded its control. It ran a parallel administration, collected taxes, issued permits, and settled disputes.
The group funded itself through extortion and kidnappings, targeted non-Assamese populations, and recruited large numbers of rural youth.
From the mid-1980s, ULFA robbed banks and carried out targeted killings of security personnel, politicians, and civilians, including migrants from Bihar. Control over resources such as tea gardens and timber provided steady funding.
In 1996, it formed the Sanjukta Mukti Fauj (SMF), its military wing. ULFA also ran training camps in Bangladesh and Bhutan and had links with other insurgent groups.
The Centre launched Operation Bajrang in 1990, which targeted leadership and infrastructure. Many leaders fled.
ULFA was officially banned by the government that same year under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. At that time, Assam was also declared a “disturbed state,” and President’s Rule was imposed to curb the insurgency.
Over the decades, ULFA’s influence has waned, though the group has not disappeared. Factions have broken away, some leaders have surrendered, and former militants have entered mainstream politics. Former ULFA deputy commander Drishti Rajkhowa joined the BJP in 2025, citing development over politics.
As Assam prepares for the 2026 assembly elections on April 9, security experts warn that a potential alliance between ULFA-I, a breakaway faction, and other militant groups could attempt to disrupt the polls.
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