Asom: Three top Congress leaders killed

Guwahati, June 5: The Asom Governor and Chief Minister today rushed to the NC hills district here following the killing of the autonomous council's deputy chairman.

With the recovery of the body of Ajit Bodo, deputy chairman of the NC Hills Autonomous District Council(NCHADC), late last night, the death toll of top Congress leaders here reached three in the last 48 hours.

Mr Boro was kidnapped by suspected DHD (Jewel Garlosa faction) militants on June 3. His body was recovered from Maibong, 35 km from district headquarter town of Haflong, police informed.

The Chief Executive Member(CEM) of the NCHADC Purendu Langthasa and another Executive Member(EM) Nindu Langthasa were trapped and gunned down by militants of the same outfit yesterday.

The militants had invited the CEM, equivalent to Cabinet minister rank, and the EM for ''discussion'' at Longei Basti near Umrangso police station and shot them dead.

The election for the NCHADC is slated on June 12 and it is viewed as the motive behind the killings. All the killed persons were candidates for it.

A Cabinet meeting has also been convened this evening at Dispur to review the situation in the NC Hills.

NC Hills, though the biggest district in the state, is guarded by only four police stations, one each at Haflong, Maibong, Umrangso and Mahur.

Militant activities are a major security concern in the district, with the hilly terrain making it more difficult for tracking the militants.

The elder brother of DHD head Jewel Garlosa is contesting the same election as a Congress candidate and would have been a potential rival to the slain CEM for the top job of the district council.

Reports suggest that a dissident group within the DHD faction had carried out the killings as speculations were rife that Jewel Garlosa would have come to the talks table if his brother was offered the CEM's job.

Lobbying in Congress top quarters had indicated a positive response towards the rebel leader's brother getting the top job.

However, a group within this anti-talks DHD faction was against the move and hence, the killings are suspected to have been carried out.

No confirmation of the split within the DHD ranks has been received from the militant group.

UNI