Public fury after Army guns down ULFA militant

Guwahati, May 6 (UNI) Irate villagers took to the streets and gheraoed Doomdooma police station, shouting anti-Army slogans hours after troops of the 6 JAK Rifles gunned down a suspected ULFA activist in Tinsukia district in the wee hours today.

Villagers claimed that the person, shot dead by the Army, was an 'innocent villager'.

The agitators gheraoed the police station for hours, protesting the Army act and demanding justice.

A spokesperson of the 6 JAK Rifles said the slain person, identified as Budheswar Moran alias Budhee alias Budhay, was a dreaded ULFA cadre.

The encounter took place at Laopati under Doomdooma police station of Tinsukia district.

An IED, a detonator, a 9 mm pistol and six live rounds were recovered from the militant.

The Army said the slain militant was involved in a number of subversive attacks, including the attack on an Army convoy at Daisajan in October, 2006 and a strike on Army vehicles in April this year at Rupai, besides extortion activities.

Significantly, the Dibrugarh district administration had ordered an inquiry after the public protest over the killing of one Moni Gogoi by the Army at Balijan in Nahorkotia of Dibrugarh in January last.

The Army claimed that Gogoi was a militant.

In another recent incident, two Army officers were found guilty of killing an innocent villager, Ajit Mahanta, of Kakopathar in Tinsukia district, on February eight last year. The incident had created an uproar in upper Asom.

Meanwhile, police today apprehended one Pritam Sonowal in connection with the blast in the heart of Tinsukia town on May four last.

Police said there was enough evidence that Sonowal, a resident of Digboi, had planted the bomb and was also involved in other subversive attacks in the district.

UNI