Tension gripped curfew-clamped Baksa district of Bodoland Territorial Area District(BTAD) in Assam on Thursday as police resorted to blank fire to disperse a protestors when they tried to defy curfew and take out a procession with the body of slain leader of Sanmilita Janagosthiya Aikya Manchav (SJA), Manoj Das, who was shot by unidentified miscreants on Wednesday night.
Curfew was clamped in the district on Wednesday night as a preventive measure as SJSS alleged involvement of former militant of erstwhile Bodo Liberation Tigers in the assassination. The SJA, a various non-Bodo organisations in BTAD, while condemning the killing demanded immediate arrests of the culprits. The SJA has been opposing demand for creation of a separate state of Bodoland and mobilising people in BTAD against violent attacks on non-Bodos by militant groups and also by former militants, who are allegedly in possession of illegal arms.
Arrest
Meanwhile a joint team of Assam Police and the Army apprehended five militants of insurgent Karbi People’s Liberation Tigers(KPLT) including the outfit’s General Secretary Ranam Lijung from Kharping Kro village under Dokmoka police station in Central Assam’s Karbi Anglong hill district and seized several arms and ammunitions.
The other four arrested KPLT militants were Angplop Timung, Ramu Teron, Khorsing Teron and Angjok Teron. One 7.62 mm SLR, one AK 56 Rifle with 3 magazines, a 303 Rifle, three Chinese grenades, a laptop, five cell phones, one solar panel were recovered from the possession of the arrested militants.
The KPLT is a breakaway faction of the insurgent Karbi Longri N.C. Hills Liberation Front (KLNLF). The KPLT has been fighting for a Hemprek Kangthim (self ruled Homeland) for the Karbi people.
