Seven killed, nine injured in Bodo militant attacks

Suspected Bodo militants continued with their violence in Assam, killing seven civilians and injuring nine others in three incidents in less than a day, officials said.

A faction of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) opposed to peace talks killed one person Saturday evening at Ambagan in Udalguri district in the Bodoland Territorial Areas Districts (BTAD), police said.

NDFB militants also fired indiscriminately at Bagidara village in Chirang district, killing one person and injuring five others.

Bodo militants had killed five civilians and injured four others in Kokrajhar district Friday night.

"In today's incident, Visham Sharma, a barber by profession, was shot dead by armed NDFB cadres from close range," police said.

The militants had Friday killed five people at Aathiabari Tiniali along NH-31 in Kokrajhar district.

"The militants first stopped four night service buses, coming from North Bengal to various locations in Assam and Meghalaya, paraded a few of them and shot at them, killing five people instantly and injuring four others," police said.

The victims were all Hindi-speaking people from Bihar and West Bengal, they said.

All the injured were admitted to a hospital in Bongaigaon and the condition of three was stated to be critical.

"We have taken all measures to ensure law and order in and around the area. Additional forces have already been sent to the troubled areas and a massive operation has been launched against the militants," Commissioner (Home) G.D. Tripathi said Saturday.

"Security forces killed a cadre of the NDFB faction yesterday (Friday) at Moinaguri in the district. The series of attacks since yesterday could be retaliation by the outfit," he said.

Friday's attack came a few hours after newly appointed Director General of Police Khagen Sarma took charge and said the United Liberation Front of Asom, NDFB and the Kamatapur Liberation Organisation (KLO) were planning to carry out serial blasts.

Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi had asked the DGP to deal with the situation firmly.