Toll in Assam violence rises to 13

GUWAHATI: The toll in the weekend massacre by tribal separatists in an Assam village rose to 13 with a woman succumbing to her injuries at a hospital here Wednesday, government officials said.

A government spokesperson said a 23-year-old woman with bullet wounds in her stomach died early Wednesday.N. Bhattacharyya, a doctor at Guwahati Medical College, said: "We tried our best, but the injury in her abdomen was so extensive that she did not survive.

"Militants of the outlawed National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) late Sunday attacked Bhimajuli village in Sonitpur district, about 240 km north of Assam's main city of Guwahati, and massacred 12 villagers.At least 12 people are still in hospitals with multiple injuries.

Mass funeral of the dead were held Tuesday."We are trying our best to instil a sense of confidence in the area by deploying adequate army, police, and paramilitary troopers," state Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

The NDFB rebels reportedly attacked the villagers after they refused to pay extortion money.

Ten people killed in separate incidents in Assam

GUWAHATI - At least ten people were killed in two separate incidents in Karbi Anglong and North Cachar Hills Districts of Assam on Tuesday.

In Karbi Anglong, six National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) militants were killed in an encounter with the Army at Donphat village in Howraghat area.

A huge cache of arms was recovered from them.

In N. C. Hills district, unidentified gunmen waylaid a vehicle at Nirimbanglo, forced its passengers to disembark and fired at them, killing four persons on the spot.

The assailants escaped after committing the crime.

Assam MP's convoy ambushed, three killed

Kokrajhar, apr 24 : Suspected NDFB (Daimary) militants ambushed the convoy of Kokrajhar MP Sansuma Khungur Bwiswmuthiary in the district today, killing three persons.

Mr. Bwiswmuthiary escaped unhurt in the attack though his vehicle was damaged, official sources said.

The Bodoland Peoples Front MP Mr. Bwiswmuthiary and some journalists in the convoy came under heavy fire of the militants from hills on both sides of the road near Panbari.

Two security guards and Bodoland Territorial Council executive member Mono Kumar Brahma's driver were killed, while four others in the convoy were seriouly injured, the sources said.

None of the journalists accompanying in a separate vehicle were hurt, though all the vehicles were damaged in the firing, the sources said.

The insurgents fired indiscriminately at the MP's convoy forcing even the locals moving in the area to lie down on the ground for safety, one of the journalists travelling in the convoy said.

The MP along with BTC speaker Jeruwa Narziary and the local media persons was travelling towards Hengrabari to take stock of the violent situation there arising out of the torching of 11 houses by unidentified persons last night.

BTC chief executive Hagrama Mohilary along with police rushed there, while the army, police and paramilitary forces under the Unified Command Structure had launched a search operation to nab the culprits.

The injured had been admitted to hospital, the sources added.