The Hindu : Five killed, 50 houses burnt as Kuki militants attack villages

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Mar 28, 2004

National

National

Five killed, 50 houses burnt as Kuki militants attack villages

By Sushanta Talukdar

GUWAHATI, MARCH 27. Suspected Kuki Revolutionary Army (KRA) militants struck again during the wee hours today, killing five villagers and set fire to at least 50 houses in five Karbi villages under Bokajan police station in Karbi Anglong district.

With today's killing, the death toll in the fresh spurt in ethnic killings in the district has gone up to 33. Earlier, 28 Karbi villagers were killed in two separate attacks carried out by the rebel group in the hill district on March 23 and 24. Today's killing came in less then 48 hours after the visit of Chief Minister, Tarun Gogoi to the villages affected in the earlier attack.

The State Home Commissioner, B.K.Gohain, told The Hindu that three columns of Army and additional companies of central para military forces were rushed to the affected areas to intensify the combing operation to nab the militants. The Minister of State for Home, Rockybul Hussain, had summoned an emergent meeting of top police and home department officials to review the situation, he said.

The State Director-General of police, P.V. Sumant, the Inspector-General of Police, (Special Branch), Khagen Sharma besides Gohain and other high officials were among others who attended the meeting.

Police, quoting eyewitnesses, said militants in battle fatigue numbering about 70 had come to the five affected villages in a ginger-laden truck and another vehicle at around 5 a.m. The militants opened fire indiscriminately and set fire to houses. The five deceased, all of them male, included two Karbis and three non-Karbis belonging to Adivasi, Tiwa and Nepali communities.

The militants sped away in one vehicle after the killing and the arson but abandoned the truck bearing registration number NL 01-0690. The five affected villages — DaikrunTeron, Burasingar, Daharamsing Kathar, Nabin Tisso and Kathar Chandra Ingti (in Karbi Anglong villages are named after the village headman) are located in difficult terrain, about 17 km from the Bokajan police station.

The hill district was rocked by fierce gun battle between KRA and United People's Democratic Solidarity(UPDS), a Karbi militant outfit in October and November last year that claimed about 50 lives with the victims belonging to both communities.

Several hundred people were injured and thousands of villagers belonging to both communities were rendered homeless in the two-month-long ethnic feud.

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