Guwahati: Suspected Dimasa militants on Friday killed 13 NF railway personnel in a remote jungle near Hatikhuli, about 12 kilometre from Lumding railway junction.
The incident was blamed on the Black Widow faction of the Dima Halam Daogah (DMD) group.
While 11 died on the spot, two others died later. The dead included six RPF jawans and two NF Railway engineering staff.
The rest were engineering staff members of contractors working on the gauge conservation work.
Additional Superintendent of Police Nitai Chandra Ghosh said the militants fired at four vehicles in which 14 RPF personnel were travelling.
Initial reports say that victims were working on railway a project when militants ambushed them.
Security forces have launched a combing operation in the area and have cordoned off exit routes.
The Black Widow faction of the DHD is against the holding of peace talks with the government unlike the Nunisa faction of the group, which is currently observing a truce.
The attack comes after the Centre announced on September 23 that it was withdrawing a cease-fire with the separatist group, the United Liberation Front of Assam.
This has been the biggest attack on the NF railway officials in the past few years and the work on gauge conservation between Lumding-Badarpur has indefinitely come to a halt.
Already all the major contractors have stopped work demanding adequate security as they were constantly being threatened.
Work had been suspended for nearly a month and resumed only a few days ago.
Meanwhile, DHD chairman Dileep Nunisa condemned the incident saying anti-talk and anti-peace force had been trying to derail the process by creating violence.
Comments
0 comment