Bodo killings: 5 protesting adivasis killed in police firing

TNN

New Delhi, Dec 24, 2014: Five adivasis protesting against attack by Bodo militants were killed in police firing on Wednesday.

 

According to reports, clashes between the police and protesting adivasis are still on.

 

Militants attacked at five different places in Assam on Tuesday.

 

Late at night, the Army was called into maintain law and order in the troubled areas.

 

Police said the killings started around 5pm at Maitalubasti in Sonitpur district in northern Assam, bordering Arunachal Pradesh and Bhutan. Meanwhile, the death toll in Tuesday attack increased to 65.

 

Union home minister Rajnath Singh, along with MoS Kiren Rijiju, would visit Assam this afternoon along to take stock of the situation after National Democratic Front of Boroland (Songbijit faction) militants shot dead at least 51 adivasis, including women and children, at five different places in Assam on Tuesday.

 

"I’m upset, despite our appeal, this incident took place and innocent people have lost their lives, it’s totally unacceptable," MoS Home Kiren Rijiju said in New Delhi on Tuesday.

 

"Security forces are already doing their work. Assam has asked for 50 extra companies of central forces, which we will mobilize," Kiren Rijiju said.

 

Curfew has been clamped since last night in areas under four police stations in Sonitpur district. Late at night, the Army was called in to maintain law and order in the troubled areas.

 

Police said the killings started around 5pm at Maitalubasti in Sonitpur district in northern Assam, bordering Arunachal Pradesh and Bhutan. Twenty-three bodies were found in the area that is located inside the Pabhoi reserve forest. Minutes after the attacks at Maitalubasti, the militants shot dead three persons at Pakhriguri village in Kokrajhar district in western Assam, bordering West Bengal, police added. The militants also targeted Ultapani village in Kokrajhar district from where six bodies were found.

 

Two more villages were attacked in Sonitpur district. Ten people were found dead at Phulbari and six at Batasipur. All the five places fall under the jurisdiction of the Bodoland Territorial Autonomous Districts (BTAD). Most of the adivasis living in the region are from Chhotanagpur Plateau and central India.

 

(An injured is treated at a hospital after militants attacked in Kokrajhar district of Assam on Tuesday.)

 

Additional DGP (special branch, Assam Police) Pallab Bhattacharya said, "We are still trying to ascertain the number of casualties. The places where the killings took place are remote and close to the Bhutan border," he added.

 

On Monday, the NDFB (Songbijit faction) had warned the government of retaliatory attacks if the security forces did not stop operations against its men. Bhattacharya said, "We had information that the outfit would carry out retaliatory attacks but it was difficult to pinpoint the locations."

 

"The NDFB (Songbijit faction) might have targeted the adivasis suspecting them of passing on information about its cadre to police," a source said. "We had information that the outfit Songbijit faction of NDFB) would carry out retaliatory attacks but it was difficult to pinpoint the locations," additional DGP (special branch, Assam Police) Pallab Bhattacharya said

 

The five attacks came less than three hours after chief minister Tarun Gogoi said his government would go ahead with counter-insurgency operations despite threats from the NDFB (Songbijit faction).

 

On Sunday, the outfit had lost two of its men during a joint operation by police and Army personnel inside the Chirang reserve forest near the Bhutan border. The security personnel had also seized a huge cache of arms and ammunition from the militants. Tuesday’s attacks came amid preparations for Christmas. A majority of Bodo militants as well as adivasis are Christians.