GUWAHATI — Separatists killed four more Hindi-speaking migrant workers in Assam yesterday, including three Marwaris, taking the toll in week-long coordinated attacks ahead of Independence Day celebrations to 34.A police spokesperson said a group of about six armed militants attacked sleeping villagers at Rongmong Ghat in Karbi Anglong district, about 270km east of Guwahati. "The militants dragged people from two families and shot at them from close range using automatic weapons," Lajja Ram Bishnoi, deputy inspector-general of police in Karbi Anglong district, told IANS.
Three of those killed, including a woman, belonged to a Marwari family originally hailing from Rajasthan and another from Bihar — both the families were petty shopkeepers residing in Assam for decades. "The attack took place in a densely forested area with the militants taking advantage of terrain," the official said.
The police blamed the attack on the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (Ulfa) and the Karbi Longri National Liberation Front (KLNLF), both working in tandem in parts of Karbi Anglong district. This is the first time militants have targeted Marwaris — in the past the attacks were directed against migrant workers from Bihar.