GUWAHATI: An Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) was killed and five other policemen injured, three of them seriously, in an ambush by militants belonging to National Democratic Front of Bodoland (Sangbijit) at Batachipur area near Dhekiajuli town in Sonitpur district of north Assam at around 8 AM on Tuesday.
A team of policemen from Dhekiajuli led by ASP Guljar Hussain was coming back from an area close to India-Bhutan border after carrying out a specific operation when the militants ambushed the vehicles of the police team.
The ASP was killed in the ambush while five other policemen injured. Another person identified as one L Nag who was accompanying the police team, was also killed in the incident.
The injured policemen were identified as Umakanta Bailung, Pinku Nath, Rubul Bora, Hiraj Bharali and Janak Basumatary. Out of them the first three persons were seriously injured and shifted to Guwahati Medical College Hospital (GMCH) while the rest two injured were admitted to the government civil hospital in Tezpur.
Superintendent of Police of Sonitpur district, Sanjukta Parashar informed that operation would be intensified against the NDFB (S) militants.
“Today’s unfortunate incident occurred because policemen are going all out against the militants. We are going to intensify the operation against militants,” the SP said.
Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi while condemning the incident warned of an all out operation against the NDFB(S). Gogoi also said from now onwards it would be made mandatory for all policemen to wear bullet-proof vests and helmets while conducting operation against insurgents.
Director General of Police Khagen Sarma said the ambush was a handiwork of NDFB (S) and vowed to intensify operation against it. He said the NDFB (S) had bases in Kokrajhar, Chirang and Sonitpur districts. He warned that anyone found helping the NDFB(S) ultras would not be spared.
The slain ASP Guljar Hussain was a very efficient officer who had carried out many successful police operations against militants in the past. He hails from Bihpuria in Lakhimpur district.
He is survived by his wife and two children, a three-year-old daughter and an infant baby boy.
A dusk-to-dawn curfew has been clamped in Dhekiajuli area as the tension mounted in the area following the incident. The people were raising protests against the militants.
Meanwhile, two more companies of Border Security Force (BSF) personnel have been deployed in Dhekiajuli police station area in the wake of Tuesday’s ambush on police personnel.
Meanwhile, spokesman of the NDFB(S) B R Ferenga has claimed responsibility of the ambush making telephone calls to media houses here.