The Assam government will institute a judicial probe into the killing of Priya Basumatary, a schoolgirl, by militants of the National Democratic Front of Boroland (Songbijit) in Dwimuguri village in Chirang district of Bodoland Territorial Area District (BTAD) on August 20.
This was announced by Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi here on Tuesday.
The Assam Police said that the militants dragged 16-year-old Priya out of her house, accused her of being a police informer, and shot her dead in front of the villagers, about 12 hours after five militants of the outfit were killed in an encounter with a joint team of Assam Police and the Army near the village in the early hours of August 20.
Mr. Gogoi said Priya was not a police informer, but Opposition parties alleged that the State government’s announcement of institution of a bravery award in the name of the victim only indicated that she was used as an informer and thus exposed her to militants’ attack.
The NDFB (Songbijit), formed on November 20, 2012 and fighting for a “Sovereign Boroland” is a breakaway faction of the NDFB (Ranjan Daimary). It has about 220 cadres. It is led by I.K. Songbijit, who was chief of the armed wing of the NDFB (Ranjan Daimary). The NDFB signed tripartite Suspension of Operation (SoO) with the Centre and the Assam government on November 29, 2013 to open a dialogue.
