An AK-47 is recovered from the attacker who was killed after a gun battle.
Advertisement
Fifteen civilians have been reported injured in the incident.
Investigators from the NIA (National Investigation Authority) are combing the state to arrest the militants of Bodo separatist group NDFB (S), which is suspected to be involved in the strike. Police officials say that the militants came to the scene at the Balazan market area in an auto rickshaw and fired indiscriminately at the people.
The locals said that while the security forces have been able to corner the NDFB (S) militants in the past two years, the security in and around Kokrajhar town were relaxed. The slain militant who had lobbed a grenade before opening indiscriminate firing was identified as Anjoy Islary alias Monjoy and he was the self-styled commanding officer of the NDFB (S), Sarma said.
“We condemn the attack by extremists”, Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal said.
The Chief Minister, who took charge of Assam in May heading the state’s first BJP government, announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the families of the dead. Sonowal asked the civil and police administration to be on high alert and increase security to thwart anti-national forces from carrying out similar attacks.
Attack in Assam’s Kokrajhar: Approx 12 Civilians Killed in Assam Attack – An attack took place in the market of Assam’s kokrajhar. The Additional DGP further said three additional companies of the Army have been deployed in Kokrajhar following the incident. The others escaped, forcing security forces to launch a major operation to hunt them down. “This is his version”, the minister said.
Advertisement
Militants fighting for a Bodo homeland killed at least 70 people, majority Muslims or tea-plantation workers from other parts of India, in a series of attacks in Assam in 2014. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has also been monitoring the situation.
