Former ULFA Leader Amar Singh Arrested by CBI in Connection with 1996 Nagen Neog Murder Case

Kolkata, India – In a significant breakthrough, former ULFA leader Amar Singh, also known as Arup Konwar, was arrested by a CBI team in Kolkata on Friday night, in connection with the high-profile murder case of former Assam minister Nagen Neog and eight others in 1996. Singh was apprehended at his residence in Golaghat, Assam, as part of an ongoing investigation into the long-standing case.

Amar Singh, a former self-styled sergeant major of the banned United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), had previously faced legal consequences for his involvement in the ambush that killed Neog, his driver, and police escorts. On October 12, 2007, Singh was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment by the Kamrup district and sessions court. However, in 2013, the Gauhati High Court overturned his conviction, citing a lack of conclusive evidence beyond reasonable doubt.

The case took a new turn when the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which had taken over the probe, filed an appeal in the Supreme Court. Singh’s recent arrest comes after he allegedly evaded multiple summonses issued by the court, leading to a warrant being issued for his arrest.

Singh is scheduled to appear before the Supreme Court on November 7 for further legal proceedings in this decades-old case.

The crime dates back to May 6, 1996, when Nagen Neog’s convoy was ambushed by suspected ULFA militants near the Singijan bridge under the jurisdiction of Golaghat police station. The brutal attack claimed the lives of the then Assam PWD minister, his driver, and several police officers. Following initial investigations by Assam police, the case was transferred to the CBI after a public interest litigation (PIL) was filed by Tukeswar Neog, Nagen Neog’s brother.

The CBI’s chargesheet named Amar Singh, along with two other suspects, Ananta Saikia and Pranjal Saikia, both of whom remain at large. Singh’s arrest marks a critical step in the pursuit of justice for the victims, bringing renewed hope that the case may finally see resolution after more than two decades.

This latest development underscores the CBI’s continued efforts to bring accountability and closure in one of Assam’s most infamous political assassinations.