From Our Correspondent
Guwahati: Unidentified gunmen shot dead four persons of a family and injured one at Ziaguri village under Kokrajhar police station in the violence-hit Kokrajhar district of Bodoland Territorial Autonomous District Council (BTC) late on Friday night at around 11 p.m. despite the imposition of curfew in the district since Thursday.
Meanwhile, police on Saturday arrested Mono Kumar Brahma, an Executive Member of the BTC and a senior leader of Bodoland People’s Front (BPF), the ruling party in the BTC, after recovery illegal arms and ammunition from his residence in Kokrajhar during an early morning raid operation.
A police source informed that a group of gunmen fired indiscriminately at the house of a minority villager killing four of the family and injuring one.
The slain included one woman and one ten year old boy. The incident has added to the tension in the communally sensitive area.
The incident occurred about ten kilometers away from the district headquarter of Kokrajhar and despite heavy deployment of security forces including.
With this killing the death toll due to fresh spell of violence in the BTC area since November 10 last has gone up to 12.
Friday night’s incident occurred following the review of the law and order situation in the district by the State DGP Jayanata Narayan Choudhury along with senior officials f the administration, paramilitary forces and the Army earlier in the day.
While police have not ruled out involvement of a faction of Bodo tribe ultras in the fresh spell of killings in the BTC, chief minister Tarun Gogoi has hinted involvement of ‘some politicos’ behind the violence in the area and warned off stern action in case of concrete evidence is gathered about it.
Regarding the arrest of the BTC Executive Member, Mono Kumar Brahma, and police informed that he was arrested following recovery of two AK-47 assault rifles with two magazines and 60 rounds of ammunition during an early morning raid at his residence at Tengapara under Kokrajhar Police Station.
A police source informed that the raid was conducted at the elected Executive Member’s residence on the basis of a tip-off.
The raid was conducted at the EM’s residence as part of the intensified efforts to seize illegal weapons available in the BTC area which has witnessed riot and continuing violence of late involving Bodo and Muslim communities.
The EM was arrested by police and a case was registered against him Kokrajhar Police Station.
Earlier, in the wake of the communal riot that broke out in the BTC area in July this year, Assam police arrested one BPF MLA, Pradip Kumar Brahma on charges of inciting communal violence. The MLA was later granted bail by Gauhati High Court.