Four youths, allegedly linked to the proscribed Ulfa-I, were injured in police firing in two separate incidents in upper Assam on Sunday morning.

The incidents came in the wake of three blasts carried out by the Ulfa-I, triggering an exchange of words between state police chief G.P. Singh and the outfit.

While three of the youths were shot while trying to flee from police custody in Sadiya in Tinsukia district early morning, the other was shot at Geleky in Sivasagar district. All of them were admitted to the Assam Medical College and Hospital and their condition was stated to be stable.

The Ulfa (I) in a statement said the youths were not part of the outfit. It also described the firing as a “fake encounter”.

The twin incidents came a day after state police chief Singh posted on X that anyone willing to join or support any banned terrorist group would be arrested and prosecuted as per law. “Please be careful about what you write about banned organisations on social media,” he posted.

Sadiya police district chief Mrinal Deka told The Telegraph that they had apprehended three youths with the help of the Assam Rifles from Kharsang in Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh on Saturday night. Kharsang is about 104km from Sadiya.

“We sent a police team in pursuit of the three youths after we were informed by their respective families that they were on their way to join the Ulfa-I in Myanmar. We managed to trace them in Kharsang with the help of the Assam Rifles on Saturday,” Deka said. Changlang district borders Myanmar.

“On the way back, they took the team to a place in Dhola where they had planned the Myanmar visit. There, one of them tried to flee and then the other two. One of them tried to snatch the revolver of the police team in-charge. To prevent them from fleeing, the police resorted to controlled firing. They were injured in the legs. They have been admitted to Assam Medical College and Hospital in Dibrugarh. They are all stable,” Deka said.

In the other incident on Sunday morning, a suspected Ulfa linkman was shot at while trying to flee at Geleky under Sivasagar district. His condition is also stable.

Tinsukia and Sivasagar districts are among the four upper Assam districts still under the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act.