The Bharatiya Janata Party leader condemned the attack and said his government was committed to protect the people of Assam.
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The state government has announced a compensation of five lakh rupees (9,000 usa dollars) to the family of each of those killed.
Reports say one suspected rebel was killed in the gun battle with security forces in Kokrajhar district.
A top official of the investigation agency said the NIA and the Assam police special branch had jointly launched operation against the NDFB (S) militants. Two more people died on their way to the hospital.
The police have blamed the outlawed National Democratic Front of Bodoland, which fought a violent decades-long campaign for a separate homeland for the region’s ethnic Bodo people.
He told the media here that he telephonically informed both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh about the killings. He said the security forces would deal strictly with the situation. Defence sources said specialised troops, tracker dogs and other equipment have been pressed into service. “One of them has been killed”. He said four terrorists were on the run and an AK-56 rifle and grenades had been recovered from the spot.
Describing the incident as “very unfortunate”, Union minister of state for Home Kiren Rijiju said in New Delhi, “We have to ascertain who are exactly behind this dastardly act”.
He indicated that government was facing the shortage of paramilitary forces who were taken away after the elections. The shoot-out occurred when the state was in a state of high alert in view of the coming Independence Day.
“Ensuring protection to life and property of the people is the first and foremost duty of the government”.
Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal will visit Kokrajhar tomorrow.
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He said three additional companies of Army arrived in Kokrajhar following the incident.
