NIA arrests three NDFB(S) cadres for Kokrajhar killings

IANS NEW DELHI, APRIL 7 Three cadres of the banned National Democratic Front of Bodoland (Songbijit faction) have been arrested from Assam for their involvement in the killing of civilians in Kokrajhar town in December 2014, the NIA said on Thursday. The three militants, Armish Basumatary, 22, Gangaraj Wary, 33, and Lothen Basumatary, 42, were arrested by investigators of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) Guwahati branch. “The arrested cadres have been remanded to police custody of NIA for three days. With the three arrests, the number of NDFB(S) cadres arrested by NIA till date stands at 61; of those 45 have been charge-sheeted so far,” an NIA official said. He said the arrested terrorists were wanted for their involvement in the criminal conspiracy and execution of the killings at Shantipur village under Kokrajhar police station in Bodoland Territorial Administrative Division (BTAD), Assam on December 23, 2014. In the incident, 12 innocent villagers were killed and three seriously injured due to indiscriminate firing with sophisticated weapons by a group of NDFB(S) militants.