Muslims under siege in Assam: Part 5
By Diganta Sharma for TwoCircles.net,
Guwahati: The communal conflicts on in Udalguri and Darrang districts have created terror in this area. It has spread up to Chirang district as well.
Armed Bodo youths
On 6th October 2008 a group of armed miscreants attacked at Maujabari under Sidly Police Station and killed a seven month pregnant woman. Rustom Ali (55) and Kuddus Ali alias Sultan Ali (29) were hurt in this incident. Both were admitted to a private hospital at Bongaigaon. The victim pregnant woman is known to be Rahima Khatun (20). The armed group started firing indiscriminately at the village when the villagers were fast asleep.
A group of 15 to 20 armed people entered Maujabari at 1 P.M. on 6th October and started the attack. They were in army dresses with their faces covered with black cloth. They crossed upon the paddy field from the side of Soto Santhaibari and targeted the homes of Ajmal Ali, Rustom Ali, Ayat Ali and Nurul Islam.
Recovered uniform worn by Bodo militants
According to the district administration, the National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB) group is behind the attack. The group first went to Ajmal Ali and called him ‘master, master’ and asked him to open the door. At this time only Ajmal and his wife were available at the house. Ajmal opened the window and having seen the armed forces escaped the scene through the back window of the house. But the armed group saw Ajmal and started firing with AK-47 Rifle. Thereafter they went to nearby Rustom Ali’s house. They started firing to the U-shaped house of Rustom Ali. The mud house of Hayat Ali was also targeted. Nurul Islam, another neighbour of Rustom Ali was also targeted. At that time Rustom and his wife Fulkhatun, daughter Rahima Khatun and a cousin were sleeping. They tried to escape while the bullet pierced the body of seven month pregnant woman Rahima. According to Rustom, Rahima was dead at the spot. Rustom was injured. Police and Army forces have discovered about fifty rounds of cartridge.
Children at the relief camp
Same day, Bodos killed a two year old baby with its twenty four year old mother at Kalcheni village under Nagrijuli Police Stations of Baska District. It happened a noon time on Oct 6th, 2008. Victims along with Monser Ali, an eight year old body, were going to attend a marriage ceremony. Mother Serbanu Begum is the wife of Sorbase Ali of Dongargaon.
Two people on a two-wheeler snatched the bay from the mother near Barnadi. They were killed by sharp weapons. According to P.K. Dutta, the Police Superintendent of Baska District, NDFB is involved in the brutal killings. Four youths have been arrested.
Dead bodies of Serbanu Begum and her baby
A day earlier, five Muslims were killed in market at Dimakushi of Udalguri district. According to eyewitnesses, Bodo youths were involved in this crime. Rahimuddin Ahmed (50) was in the market to sell his cow. Anowar Hussain (62) had a shop of dried fishes. Azizur Rahman (45) was there to do his shopping. Sirajuddin Ahmed (55) was also in the market. Pachen Khan had just arrived. All of them killed by a number of Bodo youths. Bulbul Ali (60) was seriously injured but died later. All these Muslims were local Muslims and not migrants from Bangladesh.
A Muslim village burns in Udalgiri