From Our Correspondent
TURA: Militants of the United A’chik Liberation Army (UALA) had reportedly ordered the closure of the Darangdura coal mine in Nangalbibra, South Garo Hills on the same day they had masterminded the killing of five labourers on Monday afternoon.
South Garo Hills police have said that the militants came down to the mine in the morning ordering its closure reportedly over ‘extortion demands’ and later returned to commit the cold blooded killings.
The police informed that around seven armed militants holding three AK rifles, several small arms and grenades arrived at the mine quarry and ordered the workers to halt their work.
The workers are believed to have complied with the militants’ diktat and halted work with most labourers moving out of the site during the day.
“Only a handful of labourers and drivers remained at the mine when the militants returned in the evening,” revealed district SP Davis Nestell R Marak quoting eye witness accounts.
The militants were reportedly angry to see the presence of coal labourers at the quarry and after checking their identity ordered five of them to stand in a group after which they opened indiscriminate fire. The remaining workers who were mostly drivers and cooks were ordered to flee from the site.
Meanwhile, the five labourers who were shot dead have been identified as Hobibul Ali, Anwar Ali, Mokidur Islam, Rizabul Ali and Motalif. They hailed from Goalpara district of Assam.
The bodies of the five labourers were taken to Williamnagar Civil Hospital for conduct of post-mortem examination on Tuesday.
The UALA is the prime suspect in the cold-blooded killing of the five miners since the organization had recently demanded substantial amount of money from coal mine operators of the region. The outfit is headed by a former ANVC (B) militant commander Singbirth N Marak who calls himself Norrok (Hell) X Momin.