One person was shot dead and two injured in fresh violence in Assam’s strife-torn Chirang district bordering Bhutan on Monday evening, police said.
The attack came barely two hours after UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde had left neighbouring Kokrajhar district after visiting a couple of relief camps.
The victims were workers from West Bengal and were working at a construction site in Bhutan.
“Of late, vehicles are being provided security in the area. But they were coming on their own, using a different route when the attack took place,”Bishnoi said. He, however, claimed that the incident has nothing to do with ethnic riots.
It was learnt that four people were travelling to Bongaigaon in an auto-rickshaw to catch a train to West Bengal when the gunmen fired at them at Dadgiri bazaar on Indo-Bhutan border. One person escaped unhurt and he reported the incident to the police.
“We don’t know who were behind the incident. An investigation is on,” Bishnoi added. The area is said to be a stronghold of the Bodo militants.
Sonia said she had talked to a number of inmates about relief material and facilities and they said they had no complaints.
“I asked them if they were facing any problem in the camps. They said they were getting everything including rations everyday,” she said.
Monday’s incident pushes up the death toll to 78.
–Agencices