ULFA denies killing five people in Assam`s Tinsukia

While five of the six people shot at died, one person is reportedly in a serious condition.

Kolkata: Hours after five people were gunned down - allegedly by United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) operatives - in Assam's Tinsukia on Thursday, the banned militant outfit issued a press statement denying it had any role in the incident.

ULFA issued a press statement on Friday morning refuting all allegations of its involvement the killing. 

The press statement read, "We the United Liberation Front of Asom (Independent) would like to make it clear to all concerned authorities that our organisation does not have any involvement in the firing incident that occurred on November 1, 2018 at Sadiya Saikhowaghat in Tinsukia district." 

At around 8pm on Thursday evening, six persons were picked up from their houses and were made to sit in a queue near the Dhola-Sadiya bridge and were shot at. While five persons died on the spot, one person is in a serious condition. 

As soon as news of the killing came to the fore, speculation was on the rife that six suspected ULFA militants, who were dressed in Army fatigues, were responsible for the killing. 

Meanwhile, the state DGP Kuladhar Saikia and ADG Law and Order Mukesh Agarwal have rushed to the spot, besides other state ministers, to take stock of the situation. 

A political blame game too had begun within hours of the incident with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee targeting the Centre. ""We strongly condemn the attack in Tinsukia and killing of Shyamlal Biswas, Ananta Biswas, Abhinash Biswas, Subodh Das. Is this the outcome of recent NRC development? We’ve no words to express our deep sorrow to grieving families. Perpetrators must be punished at earliest," she said. (Read full report here)