One killed, three hurt in Assam-Nagaland border firing

There was panic in the Uriamghat area in Assam's Golaghat district near the state's border with Nagaland Thursday when gunmen allegedly from Nagaland fired at Assam villagers, killing one and injuring three, police said.

The incident took place in Ratanpur village when a group of villagers went to their paddy fields located close to the border for harvesting but had to flee after the firing.

"Four people received bullet injuries and one of them died later. The incident took place in Ratanpur, which falls under the Disturbed Area Belt (DAB)," said Additional Director General of Police (Border) A.K. Sinha Cassyap.

A police official in Golaghat district said: "The villagers told us they had gone to the paddy fields for harvesting. But suddenly a 7-8 member group came and started firing at them, forcing them to flee.

"While four of them were injured, one of them died later. Some people are still missing," the official said.

Although police were yet to zero in on any particular group, they have not ruled out the involvement of Naga militants.

"We have intensified deployment and patrolling along the area and have taken up the matter with the concerned district administration in Nagaland," the official said.

At least 11 people have been killed and over 10,000 people were rendered homeless in and around Uriamghat since August this year when assailants from Nagaland attacked the villagers in Assam following a dispute over territory.

The Naga attackers had also set afire 14 villages in Assam, triggering panic among the people and leading to their displacement.

While over 9,000 people living in relief camps have returned to their homes, over 1,200 are still living in the camps.

Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and his Nagaland counterpart T.R. Zeliang have met twice so far since the violence in August and decided to maintain status quo over the border dispute.