“We strongly condemn it”.
Advertisement
Almost 20 civilians were also injured, many seriously, in the ghastly attack.
The Chief Minister said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh discussed the incident with him and have conveyed their deepest condolences to the family members of those killed in the attack.
At least 13 people were gunned down on Friday in a busy market area in a town in India’s restive northeastern state of Assam, in the latest of a long line of violent incidents in the area.
He said that massive army operations have been launched to nab their associates to have been taking shelter in the nearby areas. “The army will continue its relentless operations against the terrorists”, he added. “Yesterday, I was confused like others but today, after we have more inputs, it is clear that no one but NDFB-S was involved”, she said. He put the number of attackers at four or five.
Sahay said police had recovered an AK-47 rifle and explosives from the dead gunman, as well as a three-wheeler van the assailants had arrived in. Several homes and shops were damaged in the attack.
Police believe that a faction of the NDFB was behind the coordinated attacks on tea plantation workers and their families.
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal who was in New Delhi condemned the incident.
The Chief Minister also directed civil and police administration to be on high alert in the run-up to Independence Day on August 15 and to beef up security to thwart sinister designs of anti-national forces. “The government will not compromise on terrorism”.
Sonowal, who took charge of Assam in May at the head of its first BJP government, vowed to deal with the terrorists “very sternly”. We will carry our responsibility, said Sonowal. HE said the government had chose to give an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh to the family of each person killed.
A medical team from Guwahati was sent to Kokrajhar for proper care and treatment of the injured.
Advertisement
In a bid to avoid retaliatory killings, Sonowal appealed for peace and harmony. He rushed back to Guwahati later.
