Jorhat, Feb. 21: Suspected United People?s Democratic Solidarity (UPDS) militants today abducted two tea executives from a private garden of Karbi Anglong district, further complicating the security scenario in the strife-torn hill district of Assam.
Sources said Bhagawati Tea Estate manager Sarat Dutta and his assistant Kumar were abducted around 8.30 am. The garden falls under Bokajan police station in the district.
Both Dutta and Kumar were inspecting the garden on a motorcycle when a group of six or seven suspected UPDS militants whisked them away. Kumar was to formally join the garden on February 26. The motorcycle was found abandoned on the banks of the Deopani river.
Police officials in the Bokajan station confirmed the development, but refused to divulge any details.
The incident took place an hour before the annual general meeting of the Assam Branch of Indian Tea Association got off to a start here. The meeting did not dwell much on the security threat to the industry, concentrating more on its economic problems. However, most of the delegates expressed shock at the incident, though the meet did not take any formal resolution on security threats.
?Rising cost coupled with insurgency problem may one day spell doom for the industry. The government needs to do something,? one of the delegates said.
The abductions of the garden officials will further aggravate the already tense situation in the hill district because of the ongoing bloody feud between the Kukis and the Karbis.
Leader of the progressive faction of the Autonomous State Demand Committee (ASDC) and sitting MP Jayanta Rongpi had blamed the administration for ?letting things go out of hand? yesterday.