AASAA president shot dead

Kokrajhar, Feb 22 (PTI) All Adivasi Students Associationof Assam (AASAA) president Bosco Charmaco was shot dead byunidentified persons near Srirampur on Assam-Bengal bordertoday.

As Charmaco was returning from the house of hisfather-in-law, former Congress revenue minister Mithias Tudu,the assailants waylaid him at Jacobpur in Kokrajhar districtand sprayed bullets on him, police said.

The AASAA president died on the spot and the killersfled away, the police said.

A massive search operation was launched for nabbing theculprits.

The cause of the student leader''s killing was yet to beascertained even as his association''s leaders claimed it to bea "political killing".

Charmaco was fighting for the inclusion of the Adivasicommunity in the Scheduled Caste (ST) list and had in Octoberlast year met officials of the Union Home ministry on theissue.

Meanwhile, the AASAA has called a 12-hour Assam bandhtomorrow protesting his killing and immediate arrest of hiskillers.