Guwahati: Three persons were injured when suspected militants of the National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB) torched a train engine in Darrang district in central Assam.

An NDFB militant was killed in an encounter with the police during a 24-hour Assam bandh called by it on Tuesday. Two traders sustained bullet injuries in lower Assam's Dhubri district when suspected militants opened fire at Sapatgram weekly market to enforce the bandh.

The bandh was called by the NDFB to protest against the arrest of eight of its cadres in Guwahati by police on charges of extortion in the city. The outfit denied that the arrested cadres were in the city for extortion and claimed that they had only sought donations. The outfit demanded their "unconditional release" and warned of "further action" if the Government failed to meet the demand.

Chief Public Relations Officer, N. F. Railway, T. Rabha told The Hindu that miscreants threw inflammatory substance and torched the engine of 5815 Dn Tezpur-Rangapara Express when it was slowing down at the Rowtabagan railway station at around 10 a.m.

As the engine caught fire, the driver and two others immediately brought the train to a halt and used a locomotive available at the station to detach the passengers bogies immediately. The railway authorities sent an SOS to the nearest fire service at Udalguri about 12 km away.

At the Sapatgram weekly market in Dhubri, district an NDFB militant was killed in an encounter. Inspector-General Police, Special Branch, Khagen Sharma said the encounter took place when a nine-member group of NDFB militants who came on six motorbikes opened fire on traders. The militants fled after one of them fell to police bullets.

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