The audacious attack in Balajan Taniali in Kokrajhar which killed 14 civilians, was a handiwork of NDFB (S), a banned terror outfit active in Bodoland, sources in the Assam police have confirmed. The state government said police and paramilitary reinforcements had been rushed to the scene in Balajan, around 220 kilometers west of Assam’s main city of Guwahati.
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Gunmen dressed in military gear attacked a Friday market in northeastern India, firing shots and grenades into the crowd and killing at least 13 people and wounding 15 more.
Authorities took out one of the assailants during the attack.
This incident is very sad and we are shocked that so many people have lost their lives.
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has reportedly briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Affairs Minister Rajnath Singh on the issue.
Police blamed the attacks on suspected rebels from a faction of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB).
The chief minister met the seriously injured people, including a six-year old boy, and directed the doctors to provide advance healthcare to the victims. Saddened by the attack in Kokrajhar. He said four terrorists were on the run and an AK-56 rifle and grenades had been recovered from the spot. He also appealed to the people of Assam to maintain peace and harmony. The shoot-out occurred when the state was in a state of high alert in view of the coming Independence Day.
Spoke to Assam CM Shri @sarbanandsonwal who apprised me of the situation in Kokrajhar.
Speaking to ANI, Sonowal condemning the incident said that the state government has announced Rs five lakh to the dead families and Rs. one lakh to the injured.
Meanwhile, the situation is under control now in Kokrajhar as security forces intensified operation against the NDFB (S).
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The attack has taken the security forces as well as the Assam Government and the Centre by surprise.
