6 more killed in Karbi Anglong

GUWAHATI, July 19: The law-and-order situation in the Karbi Anglong hill district is deteriorating day-by-day as six more persons were killed in the ongoing ethnic clashes in the district last night. Police sources said here that a group of about 20 to 25 miscreants, suspected to be of Bihari community, armed with bows and arrows attacked a Karbi village No 2 Serapathar under Kheroni Police Station at around 2 am last night and killed six persons. Three others were seriously injured in the attack. Police sources said that those killed in the attack have been identified as Babu Ronghang (20), Dhongsingh Ronghang (30), Lonki Bey (32), Babu Ronghang (35), Budhu Ronghang (25) and Dili Phura (30). Those injured in the attack are Sai Ronghang, Babu Bey and Mahendra Ingti. Police sources said that the attack was in retaliation to the killing of a number of non-Karbis by the militants belonging to the United People's Democratic Solidarity (UPDS) in the last few months. Earlier, on the night of July 17, unidentified armed miscreants gunned down the parents of the UPDS Commander in-chief Willson Kro and the father and brother of the Deputy Commander in-chief of the outfit Mensing Tokbi. Interestingly, police is yet to ascertain the identity of those involved in the killing of the family members of the UPDS leaders. It may be mentioned here that the situation in the Karbi Anglong hill district started deteriorating after the UPDS, in its first anniversary celebration in March, resolved to drive away the non-Karbis and mostly the people belonging to the Nepali and Bihari communities were the targets. At least 60 persons have been killed in the district in the last couple of months alone and the difficult terrain as the shortage of security force also benefited the ultras. But of late, the non-Karbis have started to retaliate and there is apprehension that if immediate steps are not taken to control the situation, it may deteriorate futher.