3 suspected Naga militants killed in police encounter in Assam

Police said that they had received information from a reliable source that the militants were hiding in Hera Kilo and Nriachibunglow area near Haflong

Silchar: Three suspected members of banned militant group National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) have been killed in Assam’s Dima Hasao district during an encounter with police on Tuesday, officials said.

The Assam police said that further investigation and search operations were going on.

According to the police, the suspected militants were trying to extort money from some construction agencies working on a government project. They had also sent a letter to the office of National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) in Haflong on Saturday demanding a big amount of money, officials said.

Officials said that they had received information from a reliable source that the militants were hiding in Hera Kilo and Nriachibunglow area near Haflong.

“During a search operation in that area, the armed miscreants fired on the government forces, which was retaliated, and there was a heavy exchange of fire. Later, three bodies along with two AK series rifles and a pistol were recovered from that spot,” said an officer.

The Assam Police in their official statement said that the three deceased persons were suspected members of some faction of the NSCN militant group. They said that further investigation and search operations were going on.

According to the police, the NSCN group, which was formed in 1988, has several factions including (NSCN-K), NSCN (IM), NSCN-IM (Isak-Muivah) and others and they are active in different parts of Nagaland, Assam and Manipur.