GUWAHATI, Aug 12: Now it is time for Punjab-type retaliatory killings in Assam. With the situation in the state fast deteriorating, unidentified assailants last night shot down as many as six close relatives of three top ULFA (United Liberation Front of Assam) leaders, which included an elder brother of the outfit's chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa.In another bizzare attack, as many as four members of the family of ULFA central publicity secretary Mithinga Daimary were shot dead at Barama in Nalbari district, while an elder brother of another ULFA leader Munna Mishra was gunned down at Duliajan in Upper Assam.While Dimba Rajkhowa, an employee of the Assam State Transport Corporation Ltd, was shot dead while he was on duty in the ASTC's Dibrugarh station at around 7:30 pm yesterday, Daimary's four family-members were killed at Barama at around 12:30 am, a little past midnight.The family members of Daimary (real name Dipak Das) are elder brother Dharanidhar Das (district leprosy officer, Nalbari), RupjyotiSaikia,(32), wife of Das, Phuleswari Das(55), mother of Daimary and also a primary school teacher, and Latika Das(18), sister.Das' four-year old son Bhaskar however was spared, while his father, aged about 68 years also escaped as he had gone to see his another daughter in a nearby village and had stayed there the night.In Duliajan on the other hand police recovered the bullet-ridden body of Harish Mishra, an employee of Oil India Ltd, who is stated to be a brother of Munna Mishra, a top cadre of the ULFA's armed wing, official sources said.Nobody is however sure about who was behind the three incidents, but the role of the SULFA (surrendered ULFA) members has not been ruled out altogether.The alleged involvement of former ulfa members (SULFA) arises from the fact that a senior former ULFA leader Tapan Dutta was gunned down by ULFA militants in the heart of Guwahati on Monday evening.Dutta, the ULFA later alleged, had taken with him a huge amount of money belonging to the outfit when he hadsurrendered way back in 1992, and had also indulged in anti-ULFA activities.In the killing of four members of the family of ULFA publicity secretary Mithinga Daimary on the other hand, security sources said that the Bodoland Liberation Tigers (BLT) could be behind it.
