GUWAHATI: In response to counter insurgency operations by Assam police and Army, militants of National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB) Songbijit faction attacked on tribals including women and children at five locations across the state on Tuesday. So far 48 bodies have been recovered. The death toll may go up.
Attacks began at around 5 pm. The worst of the attacks took place at Maitalubasti in Sonitpur district, followed by three more places. The militants struck at Pakhriguri village in Kokrajhar too. All the attacks were carried out inside Bodoland Territorial Autonomous Districts (BTAD).
Assam Police additional director general of police (special branch) Pallab Bhattacharya said that the actual casualty figure is yet the ascertained but there is information about more than 40 people having been killed. “The places are remotely located and close to India-Bhutan border and our people are reaching the locations,” he said.
The militant outfit had on Monday warned the state government of retaliatory attack if security forces did not stop operations against the cadres. The ADGP said, “We had information that the outfit would carry out retaliatory attacks but it was difficult to pinpoint the locations.”
A source said, “The NDFB (S) picked up the adivasi community this time because it thinks that the adivasi community residing in forest areas near the India-Bhutan border might have given away information about their locations to the police and army based on which counterinsurgency operations were launched.”
