Woman killed in hills attack

May 30 : Two huts were burnt and a woman killed in Phoiding village near Haflong this morning in the continuing cycle of ethnic violence in North Cachar Hills.

The raid on the Dimasa village came a day after two Zeme Naga boys were killed and 16 cottages were set ablaze at Mabao village by an armed group yesterday.

Six persons descended on Phoiding around 11 this morning and began setting the huts on fire. The group also fired indiscriminately from automatic weapons, killing Noham Dibragede, 48, and injuring Lomi Kemprai, 50.

Villagers had deserted the 40-odd cottages atop the hill some 35km from Haflong and shifted to a relief centre.

“But they (the villagers) keep coming back to check their homes and that was when a few women got caught in the attack”.

Though ethnic flames continued to rage near Haflong, the district railway division found a reason for cheer.

A goods train moved out of Lumding for Badarpur for the first time since services were suspended on May 22 following an attack on a train in Maibong subdivision by suspected militants of the DHD(J). The train had 18 rakes, including three compartments carrying security troops.

Dimasa Women Killed in Phaidung

Haflong (Assam), May 30 : A Dimasa tribal woman was killed and two men were injured in an attack by rival community at a village in troubled North Cachar hills district today, official sources said.

Armed Zemi Naga tribals allegedly attacked Phaiding village at around 3:30 pm and killed the 55-year-old woman and injured two others.

The attack was in retaliation to the killings of two Zemi Naga villagers, who were shot dead yesterday allegedly by people of Dimasa community in the village, the sources said.

They had also set 21 houses on fire before escaping, they added.

Thousands of people have been rendered homeless by the turf war between ethnic communities in the district.

Two relief camps have been set up in Maibong and one each in Tunge, Jurai, Hajaichak and Mahur, the sources said.

Meet reviews NC Hills security

Guwahati, May 278 : A high-level meeting on the security situation in North Cachar Hills today decided to requisition the army’s help in the running of trains in the district.

Frequent attacks by rebels have disrupted train services in the district since May last year.

The decision was part of a security blueprint prepared at the meeting attended by senior central and state government officials.

It will be submitted to the Centre for its approval.

The blueprint also envisages the redeployment of security personnel, including those from the army and better co-ordination among the various security agencies to foil the “evil designs” of the militants and other elements.

A central team led by special secretary (internal security), Union ministry of home affairs, Raman Srivastava and joint secretary (Northeast), Navin Verma, visited Haflong this morning for an on-the-spot review of the situation with the district administration and security agencies there.

Train services in the district have been suspended following militant attacks causing disruption in the supply of essentials to Barak Valley, Mizoram and Tripura.

Assam chief secretary P.C. Sharma and senior railway officials were also part of the review meeting held at the Assam Rifles camp in Haflong.

Sharma told The Telegraph that the state government was doing everything possible to restore normality and ensure the resumption of train services in the district.

The central team returned to the state capital at around 3pm and held another round of meetings at the Border Security Force DIG sector headquarters at Patgaon here before departing for Delhi.

Besides the attack on trains, the district has also seen a spurt in ethnic clashes.

The Zeliangrong Hoho, an umbrella organisation of Zeme, Lingmai and Rongmai Nagas of Nagaland, today blamed the DHD (Jewel) group for the ongoing ethnic clashes in the district.