Assam: Unidentified 'Naga' Miscreants Open Fire in Sonari; Two Injured

GUWAHATI: Unidentified miscreants created tension in Assam's Sonari late on Sunday night, by opening fire at the Kanubari tea estate. As per reports, the tea estate is located in the Charaideo district along the interstate border with Nagaland.

Preliminary reports indicate that the altercation was initiated by two Naga miscreants who arrived on a motorcycle and discharged firearms. The miscreants, armed with country-made pistols, targeted the tea estate premises, resulting in injuries to two workers employed there.

The workers, upon hearing the gunshots, panicked and attempted to flee the scene but were hit and wounded in the process. The injured individuals were identified as Dandu Mahali and Suresh Munda.

One of the victims recounted the incident, stating, "I was talking on the phone when the duo arrived on a motorcycle. The lights were out at the time, and I was alongside him (the other injured worker). They arrived and started shooting at us. We got scared and started running, but I was hit on my feet. We managed to save our lives somehow."

The incident has raised concerns in the area, and authorities are investigating the matter to identify and apprehend the culprits responsible for the shooting.

Meanwhile, security has been further tightened along the Assam-Nagaland border areas to check and curb the movement of extremists, anti-social elements, and to prevent unlawful activities, an official said on Saturday. Officials of both Assam and Nagaland governments said that militants and anti-social elements sometimes do various illegal activities including unlawful trade of forest resources and wildlife on either side of the border.

Additional District Magistrate (ADM) of Sivasagar district of Assam has enforced night curfew in a 5-km belt on the Assam side of Sivasagar district, which shares a border with Nagaland.

The night curfew, which is in effect from 6 p.m. in the evening to 6 a.m. in the morning, will remain in place till November 6. "The decision to enforce the night curfew has been taken as a precautionary measure to deter anti-social elements, extremists, and unlawful activities from crossing the Assam-Nagaland border within the Sivasagar district," a district official said. He said that during the period of the night curfew, the movement of any person, group of persons, or vehicular traffic is strictly prohibited within the specified area. Assam shares a 512-km-long border with Nagaland and several patches of the inter-state border are disputed and the two states are now in parley to resolve the dispute.

Also Read: Assam, Nagaland CMs hold talks for settlement of border issue

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