A self styled commander of the ‘Kokrajhar Platoon’ of the militant National Democratic Front of Boroland (Songibjit) Jwblang was killed in an encounter with a joint team of the Assam Police and the Sasashtra Seema Bal (SSB) at Khawsibazar area close to India-Bhutan border under Serfanguri police in Kokrajhar district of Assam’s Bodoland Territorial Area District (BTAD) on Saturday afternoon.
One AK-56 rifle, two hand grenades, 22 live rounds and 16 empty cartridges were recovered from the slain militant. The encounter took place at 1.40 p.m.
Inspector General of Police (BTAD) L.R. Bisnoi, who led the operation, told The Hindu that slain NDFB ‘platoon commander’ was involved in the NDFB (Songbijit) attack on December 23 on Pakhriguri village under the same police station in which five Adivasis were killed and four were injured. Jwblang was also involved in killing of five Hindi-speaking passengers of a night bus coming from Siliguri in West Bengal by the outfit at Athiabari near Ramfalbil area along the National Highway 31 passing through Kokrajhar district, on January 17, 2014, added the senior police official. He was one of the four NDFB (Songbijit) cadres on whom the Assam Police announced cash rewards of Rs 5 lakh each.
In another operation at Kolabari area near the India-Bhutan border under Serfanguri police station of the district two NDFB (Songbijit) cadres-- Genda and Bullet --were arrested on Saturday evening while a third operation against the outfit was on when the reports last came in.
Earlier on Friday, a joint team of Assam Police and the Rajput Regiment of the Army arrested seven militants of NDFB (Songbijit). Two of the arrested cadres— Mithinga, a self styled second-in-command of the ‘Kokrajhar Platoon’ of the NDFB (Songbijit) and Khurai a hardcore cadre-- were allegedly involved in the December 23 attack on Pakhriguri Adivasi village.
Meanwhile, the number of relief camps in the three violence-hit districts of Kokrajhar, Chirang and Udalguri has come down to 54 with total 93, 310 inmates. The December 23 terror attacks on Adivasi villages in Sontipur and Kokrajhar district and subsequent retaliatory attacks on Bodo villages by some miscreants among the Adivasis claimed 81 lives and displaced 2.70 lakh people belonging to both the communities in the four districts. In Phulbari village of Sonajuli area on Assam-Arunachal Pradesh Border under Tinsuti Police outpost of Biswanath Chariali sub-division in Sonitpur district the maximum number 31 Adivasi villagers were massacred by the NDFB (Songbijit). (ends)
