Tinsukia shootings: ULFA(I) denies hand in killings, Assam Police rejects claim; shutdown in protests affects normal life

A day after five Bengali-speaking people were shot dead at Tinsukia district’s Dhola in Assam, United Liberation Front of Asom (Independent), in a statement, said that they were not behind the Thursday shooting.

“We, the United Liberation Front of Asom (Independent) would like to make it clear to all concern authorities that our organisation does not have any involvement in the firing incident that occurred on 1 November, 2018 at Sadiya Saikhowaghat in Tinsukia District.” The statement was signed off by a member of the outfit’s publicity department.

The Assam Police, however, said that according to preliminary investigation it was clear that ULFA(I) was responsible for the killings. Police said that the department felt ULFA denied responsibility fearing that it would lose popular support in Assam.

At least five persons, including three of a family, were killed by suspected ULFA(I) gunmen in Bisonimukh village, in Tinsukia district of Assam, at around 7.20 pm on Thursday. The suspected militants were reportedly dressed in army fatigue. “The deceased were at the shop of Shyamlal Biswas (one of the five killed in the attack) when the militants arrived, lined them up outside the shop and shot them from zero range,” said Prasanta Sagar Changmai, Superintendent of Police, Sadiya. The assailants then fled under the cover of darkness, a police officer said.

The deceased have been identified as Subhal Das, Ananta Biswas, Shyamlal Biswas, Abinash Biswas and Dhanamjay Namahsudra, and are of Bengali origin. According to Tinsukia Superintendent of Police Mukdhajyoti Mahanta, the bodies have been taken to the Sadia Civil Hospital for postmortem. The village is reported to be a Bengali-dominated area, mostly comprising farmers and daily-wage workers.

Various Hindu groups had called for a 24-hour bandh in Tinsukia and Dibrugarh districts against the Thursday killing. Reacting to the Tinsukia shootings, leader of Hindu Karnti Dal Mithun Debnath said , “ULFA (I) has let down the whole of Assam through this barbaric act. These cowards didn’t have the guts to kill Bangladeshi people. The people whom they killed are the indigenous Hindu-Bengali speaking people of Assam. We condemn the barbaric act.”

Northeast Linguistic Ethnic Coordination Committee (NELECC) is a group formed by former RSS cadre which works in Barak Valley part of Assam. All the members are former or current member of RSS. They support unconditional citizenship for Hindus in India and want the citizenship amendment bill to be passed.

Advocate Shantanu Naik from the organisation has said, “NELECC along with several other organisations of Barak Valley have called for 12-hour Bandh on 3 November. This is just a beginning, we are going to take this protest to Delhi if the government fails to take proper action.”

BJP spokesperson Rajdeep Roy said that the ULFA is not civilised yet. “We have urged the government to take stern action against those involved and provide adequate compensation to the deceased’s kin,” he said. The All Assam Bengali Youth Students’ Federation has called for a statewide bandh on Saturday.

Sukumar Biswas, chief adviser of the All Assam Bengali Youth Students Federation said that the incident reveals many the loopholes of the administration. “They did not take any action even when some leaders had openly said that they would go and kill Bengalis by entering their houses,” he said.

He also said that people should stop spreading hate, and remain calm. “If leaders like Mrinal Hazarika, Jiten Dutta and Prabal Neog are brought under investigation, the main people behind the killing will be exposed. I urge everyone not to spread hatred and remain calm,” he said.

Pradip Dutta Roy, founder-president of the All Cachar Karimganj Hailakandi Students’ Association, one of the influential organisations in southern Assam’s Barak Valley, said the incident is the beginning of a riot in the state. “Assam will burn in violence if the government does not take stern action in this regard,” he said.

Meanwhile, former ULFA leaders Hazarika and Dutta were detained by Panbazar and Gaurisagar police respectively, in connection with Thursday’s killings. “As per instructions from the higher authorities we have detained Jiten Dutta. He will be kept in Gaurisagar police station and we will wait for further orders,” said Additional SP Bolin Deori of Sivasagar district.

All Assam Bengali Youth Students’ Federation has demanded compensation of Rs 20 lakh for each family of the deceased. Nirmal Kanti Seal, central secretary of the organisation said, " We strongly condemn this cowardice act and demand security for the people.” Condemning the killings, Assam railway minister Rajen Gohain claimed that constituencies of Raha, Nagaon and Jagiroad should be recovered from, who he referred to as “Bangladeshi-Muslims”. “If Assam does not welcome Hindu Bangladeshis, the state will be destroyed by the Muslim Bangladeshis. The Assamese community will become the slave of the Bangladeshi Muslims. Shall we take a stand against the Mughals or shall we take a stand against our brothers?”

With inputs from 101 Reporters — Syeda Ambia Zahan, Swapnaneel Bhattacharjee and Avik Chakraborty