Five killed, 1 injured as suspected militants attack truck in Assam district

Five people were killed and one injured when suspected militants fired indiscriminately at seven trucks and later set them afire on Thursday night in Assam's Dima Hasao district.

Police said around 8.30pm, a group of armed men stopped the trucks, including six carrying cement and one loaded with coal, and started firing indiscriminately.

'The group fired at the vehicles for several minutes and then set them afire. Five persons have died in the incident and one sustained injury. All of them are drivers and handymen of the trucks,' said Jayant Singh, superintendent of police, Dima Hasao.

Authorities suspect the involvement of the Dimasa National Liberation Army (DNLA) in the attack. A cement factory's refusal to yield to DNLA's extortion demands is suspected to have led to it.

This was the first such attack in Assam since May 14 when two people were killed in a grenade blast at Digboi in the Tinsukia district. United Liberation Front of Asom (Independent) was suspected to have been involved in the attack.

'Additional forces were rushed to the spot immediately after



the (Thursday) incident and a combing operation is underway to nab those involved in the incident,' Singh said.

Formed in April 2019, DNLA seeks an independent nation for the Dimasa community through an armed struggle. In recent months, members of the outfit have been killed in gun battles with security forces or have surrendered.

Dimasa is one of the indigenous tribes of Assam. Around 142,413 Dimasas were concentrated in the Dima Hasao district as per the 2011 census while others lived in neighbouring Nagaland.

DNLA claims to be fighting for protecting the tribe's culture, language and restoring the Dimasa kingdom, one of the earliest of the region. Dima Halam Daogah and Black Widow rebel groups were earlier active in the regionbut havenow become inactive.

Assam has a history of armed groups representing various communities seeking sovereignty, a separate state, or an autonomous region. Several of them like the National Democratic Front of Bodoland, United Liberation Front of Asom (pro-talks faction) have given up the armed struggle and signed peace deals with the Centre.