5 policemen among 12 killed in India's NE state Assam

Guwahati, Apr 20 (PTI) 12 people, including five
policemen and as many militants, were killed in insurgency-
related incidents in India's north-eastern state of Assam
Monday.

Five Assam Police personnel and two civilians were
shot dead by DHD(J) militants in trouble-torn North Cachar
hills district Monday afternoon and their arms taken away,
official sources said.

The incident occurred when a team of 5th Assam Police
Battalion (APBN) escorting a cement-laden truck from a factory
at Umrangsho to Lanka in neighbouring Nagaon district came
under fire from Dima Halam Daogah (jewel) militants, locally
known as 'black widow', at around 1.45 PM IST, they said.

Besides the policemen, the civilian driver of the
escort vehicle and his helper were also gunned down by the
ultras along the road between Kalanala and Panimur, under
Doyongmukh police station, the sources said.

The militants fled with the arms of police personnel.
In Sonitpur district, five militants belonging to the National
Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) and Muslim United
Liberation Tigers of Assam (MULTA) were killed in an encounter
by troops of the Red Horns division during an operation
launched late Sunday night at Akabasti, 8 km southeast of
Lokra, army sources said.

After a gunbattle lasting nearly four hours, three
National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) and two Muslim
United Liberation Tigers of Assam (MULTA) extremists were
killed at around 1 AM IST.

Five 9-mm pistols, a Chinese grenade, five kg of high
power plastic explosives, 10 detonators, 107 rounds of AK
series ammunition were recovered from the slain ultras.

The NDFB ultras were identified as Krishna Basumatary,
Prahlad Basumatary and Deithtani Basumatary, while the
MULTA rebels were Babul Ali and Yunis Ali, the sources added.
PTI COR
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