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Militants kill seven in Assam

Sushanta Talukdar

Guwahati: Suspected militants gunned down seven persons including four women in two separate incidents in southern Assam’s North Cachar Hills district and northern Assam’s Sonitpur district late on Monday night.

In the incident in Sonitpur district, four members of a Hindi-speaking family including a three-year-old child were shot dead and two others injured near the Naharani tea estate under Rangapara police station.

A group of militants opened indiscriminate fire in which a Hindi-speaking businessman, his wife, the couple’s child Pankaj, and a relative died instantly. A five-year-old girl and a teenaged girl were injured in the attack. Police, however, are yet to identify the militant outfit involved.

In another incident a mother and her two daughters were killed in an abandoned Zeme Naga village under Mahur police station late on Monday night. Following this, the death toll in attacks on Naga villages since March 19 has gone up to 51.

Furore in the House

The Assembly witnessed noisy scenes for the second consecutive day over continued militant violence in N.C. Hills district with the main opposition party Asom Gana Parishad alleging that funds allocated to the N.C. Hills Autonomous Council had been diverted to militant coffers since the days of the Congress rule in the hill council.

The AGP members staged a walk out protesting a ruling by Speaker Tanka Bahadur Rai expunging from the proceedings the references made by Leader of Opposition Chandra Mohan Patowary to Bodoland Territorial Council chief Hagrama Mahilary while raising some points about diversion of N.C. Hills council funds to militants.

Mr. Patowary, however, later demanded that Mr. Mahilary be arrested for his confession and going on record that he (Mr. Mahilary) had paid Rs. 50 lakh to the banned militant outfit National Democratic Front of Boroland.

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