Security forces in such operations to be accompanied by village headman in Assam (Representational)

Guwahati:

Two days after a 30-year-old man allegedly died in custody after being caught by the Army in a counter-insurgency operation in Assam’s Jorhat district, the state government said that security forces involved in such operations will have to be accompanied by the village headman or the line head of the tea estates.

On Tuesday, the unified command, a joint platform of all security forces involved in counter-insurgency operations in Assam, met in Guwahati and decided that the standard operating procedure (SOP) for counter-insurgency operations in the state will be tweaked, sources said.

On Sunday, the Army had contacted the Assam Police about a search operation for a suspected ULFA(I) terrorist in Borholla area of Jorhat district.

Jayanta Bora, a suspected ULFA(I) cadre, was caught by the forces and brought to Borholla police station, sources told NDTV.

The suspected terrorist, who was reportedly sick, was first admitted to the nearest medical facility and later referred to Jorhat Medical College Hospital where he was declared dead on arrival, sources said.

A probe has also been ordered into the case, sources told NDTV.