Assam: 6 Dimasa militants gunned down, 2 critically hurt in encounter
● CHIEF MINISTER Himanta Biswa Sarma told reporters the Assam police had killed the entire top leadership of the outfit in an encounter. He said at least six militants were killed and two others were critically injured in the encounter.
In a major breakthrough, the Assam police on Sunday shot dead six militants of the Dimasa National Liberation Army (DNLA), a fledgling rebel outfit, in an encounter in central Assam’s Karbi Anglong district.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma told reporters the Assam police had killed the entire top leadership of the outfit in an encounter. He said at least six militants were killed and two others were critically injured in the encounter.
The police said the cadres were killed in Karbi Anglong district early on Sunday and a large cache of arms and ammunition was recovered from them.
Special DGP G.P. Singh, who is tackling all the operations against insurgent groups, said in a social media post: “In an early morning operation by the Assam police and Assam Rifles, six DNLA terrorists were neutralised in Dhansiri area of Karbi Anglong. A large cache of arms and ammunition was also recovered.”
The outfit was engaged in various extortion activities and recently shot dead a businessman in an extortion incident.
Four AK-47 rifles and several rounds of ammunition were found in the possession of the slain militants.
A priest was also killed recently by the militants, triggering chaos in the region.
Teams from Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao district police were involved in the operation. The DNLA was formed in 2019 after earlier rebel outfits like two factions of Dima Halam DaogahNunsia and Garlosa signed a settlement with the Centre and disbanded the organisations.
Another outfit, Dima Jadi Naiso Army, came into being in 2012, which is no longer active.
The DNLA was seeking a “sovereign, independent Dimasa nation”, while the earlier outfits were seeking a separate state of Dimaraji by including all areas in the Northeast covering parts of Nagaon district of Assam and Dimapur in Nagaland that are inhabited by the Dimasa tribes.
Naisodao Dimasa is the chairman of the outfit and Kharmindao Dimasa is the “home secretary”. The DNLA has established a “government-in-exile” called the “Dimasa People’s Supreme Council”.