Heavily-armed suspected Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) insurgents, dressed in army fatigues, gunned down seven people who were gambling at a remote village in Assam's Goalpara district on the occasion of Diwali.
After the incident, indefinite night curfew was clamped along Assam-Meghalaya border in Goalpara district.
The militants opened fire from automatic weapons on a group of people gambling on the occasion of Diwali at Gendamari village under Agia police station, killing six on the spot last night.
Another person succumbed to injuries on way to hospital while 10 others were seriously wounded in the attack by GNLA fighting for a separate state since 2009, police sources said.
The militants were dressed in army fatigures, police said quoting witnesses.
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, who is in London on a visit, directed Director General of Police J N Choudhury to arrest the attackers at the earliest and seek the assistance of the army, if necessary, to bring the situation under control, official sources said in Guwahati.
Gogoi took up the matter with Meghalaya government seeking its assistance in apprehending the militants and asked it to ensure that the outfit did not create trouble during elections to the Rabha Hasong Autonomous Council to be held between November 13 and 25, the sources said.
The government has announced an ex-gratia of Rs six lakh to the next of kin of the deceased and free medical treatment for the injured.
