GUWAHATI, Dec 3: Notwithstanding deployment of additional forces, marauding Kuki Revolutionary Army (KRA) militants gunned down three more innocent Karbi villagers besides setting fire to about 30 houses at Mansing Teron village under Manja Police outpost about 18 kilometres away from Diphu in Karbi Anglong last night.
Police sources informed that a large group of KRA ultras raided the remote village at around 8 p.m. last night and opened indiscriminate fire from sophisticated weapons killing three Karbi persons including a 12-year-old boy and a woman and injured one.
The deceased were identified as Bidyasing Tokbi (25), Rajesh Hanse (12) and Basa Ingtipi (45). Another person Longsing Teron was seriously injured in the attack by Kuki ultras. The ultras left at least 30 houses razed to the ground in the village. About three hundred Karbi villagers from Mansing Teron village and neighbouring villages of Singthong Terang and Sonari Kathar under Manja Police outpost have been evacuated following last night attack by Kuki ultras. They have been accommodated in relief camps which are guarded by security personnel. Army and paramilitary forces are engaged in combing operation in the area to flush out Kuki ultras from the area.
Meanwhile, Autonomous State Demand Committee (ASDC) today demanded strong action from State and Central Governments to prevent Kuki militants from killing anymore Karbi villagers in the hill district. The ASDC has taken exception to lack of effort from the Government to bring the anti-talk faction of the Karbi militant outfit, UPDS to negotiation table.
The ASDC leaders Hali Ram Terang and Pankaj Teron today alleged that by leaving vulnerable Karbi villages unguarded, the State Government was indirectly instigating the Kuki ultras to kill innocent Karbi villagers. The ASDC leader saw a ?design? in cleansing Karbis by Kuki militants.
PTI Adds: According to a PTI report quoting Karbi Anglong Superintendent of Police Abdul Kuddus, the Army later managed to kill at least two Kuki ultras involved in attacking Mansing Teron village last night.
Meanwhile, the 120-hour Karbi Anglong and North Cachar Hill district bandh called by the anti-talk faction of the UPDS in protest against creation of the interim Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) was called off on the second day today in view of the escalating violence.
UPDS general secretary H E Kathar said in a release at Diphu that the bandh was withdrawn in view of the tension prevailing in the areas over ethnic violence and in order to facilitate relief and rehabilitation work. The UPDS faction called for the bandh from December 2 to December 6 demanding scrapping of Clause 8 of the BTC Accord and formation of the interim BTC.