2018 Tinsukia killings
| Tinsukia killings | |
|---|---|
  | |
| Location | Kherbari, Tinsukia district, Assam, India |
| Date | 1 November 2018 (UTC+5:30) |
| Target | Bengali Hindus |
Attack type | Massacre |
| Weapons | Guns like ak-47 |
| Deaths | 5 men |
| Injured | 2 |
| Perpetrators | ULFA (Independent) (suspected) |
On November 1, 2018, suspected militants from the ULFA (Independent), a terrorist group banned by the Indian government and designated a "concerning entity" by the U.S., massacred five Bengali Hindus near Kherbari village in Tinsukia district, Assam. Victims Subrata Das, Ashok Das, Ranjit Das, Santosh Kumar, and Manik Chandra were found with gunshot wounds on a bridge in Bisonimukh Kherabari. The attack, attributed to anti-Bengali sentiments, shows growing hatred against Bengali-speaking communities. Authorities recovered 38 AK-47 cartridges at the scene. Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal condemned the killings. Mamata Banerjee, the Chief Minister of West Bengal condemned the killings and pointed towards the NRC process as the trigger behind the killings.[1] The group seeks to create a clear distinction between "Assamese" and "non-Assamese" populations, targeting long-established residents, including Bengali, Bihari, Marwari, and Nepali communities. ULFA’s involvement in anti-Bengali activities has been a source of significant unrest in the region, undermining social harmony and fostering an environment of ethnic and communal intolerance. This ideology of exclusion and violence, which seeks to marginalize and displace non-Assamese citizens, poses a grave threat to the region's peace and unity.[2]
Background
[edit]As early as in 2016, ULFA warned Bengali Hindu individuals and organizations not to support the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill.[3] On 13 October, the ULFA (Independent) detonated a low intensity bomb in Guwahati to warn the Bengali Hindu organizations protesting the exclusion of names of Bengali Hindu refugees from the NRC.[4] It claimed that the Bengali Hindu organizations were working against the interests of the indigenous Assamese people and conspiring against Assam. A week before the incident, Assam Police received intelligence input about attacks in Bengali inhabited areas.[5] On 25 November the pro-talk faction of the ULFA leadership stated that the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 must be stopped from being passed at the Parliament. If it gets passed, he threatened to turn Assam into a 1983-like situation where the Bengali people would be massacred again.[6]
Killings
[edit]In the evening of 1 November 2018, six or seven Bengali Hindu youths were relaxing at a shop and playing ludo in the Kherbari village. Around 8-30 PM IST five or six unidentified gunmen arrived at the spot and rounded up the youths. They were taken to the banks of the Brahmaputra river, about six kilometers from the Dhola-Sadiya bridge. The gunmen forced the youths to sit on a line. At around 8:55 PM IST the gunmen opened fire on the youths from a point blank range. Five out of the seven people died on the spot. The two critically injured survivors were rushed to the hospital.
Reactions
[edit]Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal condemned the killings. Sushmita Dev, Member of Parliament from Silchar too condemned the killings.[7] Mamata Banerjee, the Chief Minister of West Bengal condemned the killings and lay the blame on the NRC process.
References
[edit]- ^ Saikia, Arunabh. "In Assam's Tinsukia district, killings of Bengalis spark anxiety among Hindi-speaking residents". Scroll.in.
- ^ Naqvi, Sadiq. "Targeted because we are Bengalis, says lone survivor of Tinsukia killings". Hindusthan Times.
- ^ Sharm, Anup (26 October 2016). "Ulfa warns Hindu Bengalis in Assam". The Pioneer. The Pioneer Group. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
- ^ Saha, Abhishek (14 October 2018). "At least three hurt in Guwahati blast, ULFA says warning for Hindu Bengali outfits". The Indian Express. Guwahati. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
- ^ Saha, Abhishek (2 November 2018). "Five Bengali-speaking workers shot in Assam, police suspect ULFA". The Indian Express. The Express Group. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
- ^ "FIR against Mrinal Hazarika for his remarks against Bengali community". Northeast Now. 26 October 2018. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
- ^ "Bloodbath In Assam: ULFA Militants Murder Five Bengalis in Tinsukia". Barak Bulletin. 1 November 2018. Retrieved 2 November 2018.