NIA submits first chargesheet, mes 10 rebels

December massacre

By Our Staff Reporter

Guwahati, July 3: Six months after the massacre of over 80 Adivasi villagers in a string of attacks by NDFB(S), the tiol Investigation Agency today filed its first chargesheet, ming ten accused.

The chargesheet was filed before the Special NIA Court at Guwahati.

The case pertains to the NDFB(S) attack on innocent people of Pakiriguri village under Serfanguri Police Station in Kokrajhar district of Assam in which five Adivasi people were killed and as many sustained grievous injuries, an official release said.

The 10 NDFB(S) militants against whom the chargesheet was filed were Milan Mushahary, Swmkhwr Brahma, Swmkhwr Mushahary, Bullet Basumatary, Ganda Basumatary, Bi Basumatary, Jayanto Mushahary, Gautam Mahalia, Khanda Daimary and Dwithai Basumatary.

The NIA had registered the case on February 16 under different section of the IPC, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 and Arms Act, 1959.

The accused have been booked under various sections of the IPC, including 120B, 121, 121A, 122, 302, 307 and 326, the Arms Act and the Unlawful Activities (prevention) Act. "We have sufficient evidence against the accused. However, further investigation is on," said an NIA officer, indicating that more chargesheets would follow.

The Bodo rebels had launched simultaneous attacks in the afternoon of December 23 last year, killing over eighty Adivasis at Sonitpur, Chirang and Kokrajhar districts.

Now the vice president of the outfit, G Bidai is said to have masterminded the killings.

Since the attacks, nearly 300 arrests have been made by police, army and other security forces operating in the State, including the NIA. NDFB militants were also bbed from Bangalore and some other South India states to which they had fled following mounted operations by security forces.

The NIA is hunting for Bidai and his close associate Batha, the official said.