Upper Asom tense as villagers protest 'fake encounter'

Guwahati, May 7 (UNI) Agitating villagers took to the streets for the second day today, protesting the killing of an 'ULFA cadre' by the troops of the 6 JAK Rifles in Tinsukia yesterday.

Backed by a number of student and youth organisations, the protesting villagers blocked the national highway for over several hours at Doomdooma, demanding a halt to the 'atrocities meted out to the common people in the name of anti-insurgency operation'.

Claiming that the person shot dead by the Army was an 'innocent person', the agitators yesterday gheraoed the Doomdooma police station for hours.

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

Police said Moran was away from home for long without any known reason.

The Army claimed to have recovered an IED, a detonator, a 9mm pistol and six live rounds from the 'militant'.

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

Meanwhile, addressing a joint press meet at Tinsukia, a number of other student and youth organisations, including the local units of All Asom Students Union and Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad, expressed concern over the ''rising instances of Army atrocities on common people''.

Coming down heavily on the state government, the organisations demanded adequate compensation to the 'victim's family'.

Condemning the ULFA attacks on innocent people, the organisations said, '' We have never interfered when a terrorist is killed. But at the same time the killing of innocents cannot be tolerated. '' Significantly, the Dibrugarh district administration had ordered an inquiry after the public protested 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.

UNI