Guwahati: Four more persons were gunned
down in Assam by NDFB militants on Tuesday while a man succumbed to
his injuries, taking the toll in the overnight violence to 23,
as the rebels warned of more killings.
Official sources said a group of NDFB militants shot
dead one person and injured six others at Dauraighat near
Harinaguri in Kokrajhar police station this evening.
A Hindi-speaking person and another, belonging to a
minority community, were shot dead by the militants at
Ultapani in Kokrajhar district on the Indo-Bhutan border this
morning, while a cycle mechanic Paran Mondal was killed at his
residence in Domgaon village bordering Chirang district,
police said.
One of those injured at Batasipur yesterday in
Sonitpur district succumbed to his injuries at the Gauhati
Medical College Hospital.
Union Home Minister P Chidambaram spoke to Assam Chief
Minister Tarun Gogoi and is understood to have asked him to
take steps to apprehend the culprits. During a telephonic
conversation, Chidambaram is believed to have told the chief
minister to ensure security of innocent civilians.
Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said, "We are not going to
be cowed down by terror."
He said that the security forces have launched an
offensive against the anti-talk faction of the National
Democratic Front of Bodoland militants while a state-wide red
alert has been sounded.
During stepped up operations a joint team of the
police and army were fired upon by three NDFB militants at
Jingabil under Mazbat police station in Udalguri district in
the evening. The security forces retaliated, the sources said.
Warning of more violence, NDFB spokesperson B
Sadbangso told a local news TV channel that the recent
violence was in reply to an encounter in Sonitpur district
where an "innocent Bodo tribal civilian" Mahesh Basumatary was
killed.
"We took revenge for his death. We warn of more
violent attacks, if security forces continue their offensive
against us," he said.
On November 1, self-styled NDFB lieutenant B Jwngkhang
had threatened to take the lives of 20 or more people for
every Bodo or NDFB cadre killed in "fake encounters" by the
security forces.
Yesterday, the militants had killed 18 people,
including eight Hindi-speaking and eight bus passengers, and
injured over 20. Most of the attacks took place in Sonitpur
district bordering Arunachal Pradesh.
Chief Minister Gogoi told the assembly that his
government is not going to be cowed down by terror.
"The army, police and paramilitary forces have already
launched massive operations in NDFB strongholds. The
government will tackle militancy strongly.
"The anti-talk group of the NFFB is responsible for
the killings and we will not tolerate it. The anti-talk group
or whoever breaks the law will not be tolerated," Gogoi said
in response to the opposition accusing the government of
failing to protect the people.
Pointing out that the government had offered peace
talks to NDFB chairman Ranjan Daimary and ULFA
commander-in-chief Paresh Baruah, he said, "They have to
abjure violence. We condemn the inhuman killing of innocent
people."
PTI
