Assam villagers ‘mistake’ Army officials for ULFA men, 8 dead

In a tragic case of what is being called mistaken identity, eight people, including a Major and a jawan, were today killed at a village near...

In a tragic case of what is being called mistaken identity, eight people, including a Major and a jawan, were today killed at a village near Hajo, about 40 km from here.

Army sources said a group of Army personnel headed by a Major had gone to Delakhata village in Kamrup district around 1:30 pm today on a specific lead to prevent extortion by ULFA when the villagers mistook the group as militants and attacked them. The jawans opened retaliatory fire, killing six villagers on the spot.

Assam Police IG (Special Branch) K.N. Sharma said the Army personnel, from 10 Assam Regiment, were in civvies and that is why the villagers mistook them for militants. The IGP confirmed the death of at least six villagers.

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The Army had specific information that the ULFA had sent an extortion note to a village teacher and that they were to come and collect the amount today.

It was the informer himself who guided the Army personnel to the village. But since the men were not in uniform and the guide was a former ULFA militant, the villagers mistook them to be ULFA cadres. Major R.A.S. Thadah and Sepoy Debabrata Deuri were among the Army personnel killed. Observers feel the incident will have an effect on counter-insurgency operations, especially as militancy is at an all-time low here. A glaring proof of this was November 28, when the ULFA completed 12 years as a banned organisation and when, unlike previous years, the outfit did not call for any public protest.

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