Militant fire burns Assam district

Ethic violence erupted in Assam’s North Cachar Hills district again on Thursday. One person was killed and 115 houses torched by suspected National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) militants.

Ethic violence erupted in Assam’s North Cachar Hills district again on Thursday. One person was killed and 115 houses torched by suspected National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) militants.

HT Image

The attack left hundreds of people, belonging to the Dimasa tribe, homeless in Digarkro village, 400 km east of Guwahati.

The police have not yet received detailed information on the attack, but do not rule out the NSCN’s involvement.

Till recently, the Dima Halam Daogah (Jewel), also known as Black Widow, had let loose a reign of terror in the North Cachar Hills, extorting money from local and government-owned businesses and attacking Nagas living there. Its goal: establish a Dimasa ‘homeland’ called Dimaraji.

The map of this so-called homeland overlaps that of “Greater Nagaland”, the for-Nagas-only homeland that NSCN is pursuing, bringing the two groups into conflict.