Militants Kill 18, Burn Houses In Tripura

Unidentified tribal militants massacred 18 persons, injured two and torched 20 houses in Jarulbaghai village, in Tripura's west district in the early hours yesterday, according to police sources.

While 16 persons, including eight members of a family, were killed in gunfire, two succumbed to bullet injuries at the G B Hospital here.

Union home minister Indrajit Gupta, who was here on Tuesday night, was informed about the incident yesterday morning.

According to eyewitness, a group of about 15 ultras, armed with sophisticated weapons descended on the sleeping village and began torching houses. When the inmates rushed out they were mowed down with bullets.

The police have not yet been able to identify the militant group, but suspected either the the All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) or the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT), as both outfits were active in the area.

Sachindra Sarkar (50) lost his entire family. His wife Archanna, two sons, two daughters and two grand children were killed by the extremists.