The Opposition in the Assam Assembly on Tuesday hit out at the Congress-led government of Tarun Gogoi for the serial attacks carried out by the anti-talk faction of the outlawed National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) on Monday even as militants struck again,this time killing two persons at Ultapani in Kokrajhar district at about 11 am. The death toll in nine attacks since Monday evening has gone up to 22. Eight persons have been killed in Boimara,five in Belsiri,two each in Mazbat and Ultapani and one each in Dokmoka,Kekerikuchi,Chirang, Batasipur and Hugrajuli. While the Opposition raised the issue during question hour itself and held the government responsible for the serial attacks,Leader of Opposition Prafulla Kumar Mahanta blamed the Gogoi government for failing to protect lives of the common people. Majority of those killed in a series of eight strikes by the militant group were Hindi-speaking people either settled in Assam or working in the region. The victims also included a few Bengalis and Nepalis and an Assamese. Six of the eight who were killed after being pulled out of a bus close to the Assam-Arunachal border in Sonitpur were employees of the Arunachal Pradesh,while one was a BSNL employee and one a washerman with the India Reserve Battalion. Several groups,including the Purvottar Hindustani Sammelan,Bhojpuri Students Union,Akhil Hindi-bhashi Yuva-Chatra Parishad and Gorkha Students Union,have called a bandh in Assam on Wednesday to register protest against the killings. The NDFB on its part has claimed responsibility for the killings and said it had resorted to such an action in retaliation to the killing of one of its cadres by security forces in Dhekiajuli in Sonitpur district on Monday morning. The NDFB had last week warned that it would kill 20 persons against every one cadre killed by security forces.
