Fresh violence kills 11 in Assam, toll in sectarian clashes at 23 now

Guwahati: At least 11 more people were killed in fresh violence in Assam's Baksa district on Friday. The attack came after heavily armed militants unleashed violence in two districts of Assam falling under Bodoland Territorial Administration area, killing 11 people, including three children, and leaving three others seriously injured.

Indefinite curfew has been imposed in the district, television channels reported.

A group of 20 to 25 NDFB-Songbijit militants, armed with AK-47 rifles, swooped down on three houses at Balapara-I village in Kokrajhar district in the early hours of Friday and fired indiscriminately killing seven persons on the spot, the police said.

IGP L R Bishnoi told PTI that two children and four women of the minority community were among the seven persons who were gunned down.

The body of a three-year-old child identified, who was also killed in the attack, was recovered from the area later this morning, he said, adding two men were also seriously injured.

Family members of the victims said the insurgents attacked one house after another, firing indiscriminately creating panic in the area. This was the second attack by the militants since last night.

Three persons of a family, including two women, were shot dead and an infant was seriously injured by NDFB-S militants in neighbouring Baksa district last night.

The militants carried out the crime after entering the house near Ananda Bazar area in Baksa district also within BTAD, the police said.

In the same district one Bipin Boro was shot at and seriously injured in his house by two suspected militants at Nizdefeli yesterday, the police said. He was admitted to the Gauhati Medical College Hospital in a critical condition. In an email to PTI, anti-talk ULFA-Independent assistant publicity secretary Arun Udoy Asom condemned the violence.

Meanwhile, the All Minority Students Union (AMSU), All Bodo Minority Students Union (ABMSU) and several other organisations have condemned the killings and urged the people to maintain peace.

Accusing Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi of failing to maintain law and order in the BTAD area comprising four districts of Kokrajhar, Baksa, Udalguri and Chirang, the minority students organisations demanded his resignation.

The ABMSU and AMSU leaders also claimed that violence had erupted following a statement made by Bodoland Peoples Front (BPF) leader and former minister Pramila Rani Brahma on the way minorities voted.

The local Bodo political parties accused former militant and BPF leader Hagrama Mohilary-led Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) administration of failing to maintain law and order in the state.

In July 2012, violence had erupted between the indigenous ethnic Bodo community and immigrant Bangladesh minority community people leading to the death of near 80 people.