A four-member Trinamool Congress delegation arrived in Assam on Sunday morning and headed to Kheronibari village in Tinsukia district to meet the family members of the five people killed by suspected militants.
The TMC delegation is being led by Derek O’Brien, the TMC parliamentary party leader in Rajya Sabha. The team comprises the party’s Lok Sabha MP Mamata Bala Thakur, Rajya Sabha MP Nadimul Haq and MLA Mahua Moitra.
“This is a humanitarian visit. This is a visit to stand with the grieving families. We hope to reach Tinsukia in about two hours and spend some time with the families,” O’Brien told reporters outside the airport.
On Thursday, unidentified gunmen in battle fatigue shot dead five individuals, including three members of a family, near the village in the district.
Strongly condemning the incident, the senior TMC leader said, “What has happened is a dastardly killing of the most deprived and poorest Indian citizens… They have been murdered in cold blood.”
On Friday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had expressed anguish over the killings and said an “environment of violence” was prevailing in the country.
On Saturday, Assam continued to be tense over the killings even as the 12-hour Assam bandh call by some organisations over the killing evoked a mixed response across the state on Saturday.
Although police are yet to identify the outfit responsible for the killings, a linkman of the anti-talk faction of ULFA, Jintu Gogoi was picked up by the Police on Saturday in connection with the killing. Gogoi was picked up from Tinsukia district, police said.
The Assam police have already launched a massive combing operation against the suspected militants in and around the Sadiya area in the district.
Meanwhile, the bandh call evoked a total response in Bengali Hindu dominated Barak Valley districts of Assam while the bandh supporters tried to enforce the bandh in some areas of Brahmaputra Valley as well. Vehicular traffic was, however, normal in most of the places in Brahmaputra Valley.
In Guwahati, the bandh hardly had any impact. In Upper Assam, Lower Assam and hill districts bandh has its impact in several pockets.
Police arrested Congress and BJP leaders in Barak valley for supporting the bandh.
Two extremists were nabbed in Harinagar Bazaar in Cachar district during the 12-hour Barak Valley Bandh. According to Cachar SP Rakesh Roushan, the ultras were arrested around 11.30 am and seven AK-47 rifles, around 500 bullets and one 9mm pistol have been recovered from their possession.
During the bandh there sporadic incidents of violence were reported. In Barpeta in Lower Assam, bandh supporters pelted stones on the police.
(With inputs from agencies)