Eleven persons were killed by militants, suspected to be members of Black Widow group, at two places in Assam’s North Cachar Hill district on Thursday, taking the toll up to 22 since Saturday. While the militants first attacked a special patrol train between Mupa and Kalachand railway stations on the meter gauge Lumding-Silchar hill section at 6.35 am, another group of rebels gunned down 10 persons — drivers and helpers — at Barlangpam at 7.30 am.Assam Police IG (Special Branch) Khagen Sharma said while it was for the first time that a moving train was attacked in the district, the 10 drivers and helpers were engaged by Vinay Cements, a private company that has a factory at Umrongsho. “So far the militants were targeting labourers and railway employees at project sites. It is the first time that they have attacked a moving train,” he said.NF Railway CPRO Samir Goswami said the militants first opened fire on the train that was coming out of a tunnel. Though driver N N Bora, his assistant, a gangman and a RPF constable were hit by bullets, Bora promptly reversed the train back into the tunnel, saving the lives of his colleagues. The militants, however, came down from the hill and opened fire again, killing Bora on the spot. The other three Railways employees were grievously injured. Ten RPF personnel, an engineer, 20 other staff members were travelling in the train.While the railways had suspended night running of trains in the Lumding-Silchar hill section since last week, the authorities on Thursday announced complete suspension of trains in the section.In the other incident, militants, again said to belong to the Black Widow group, hijacked nine trucks that were on their way from Haflong to Barlangpam and killed 10 persons, six of whom were drivers, and the others their helpers.On May 11, the same group had gunned down 11 labourers of a private company engaged by Northeastern Frontier Railway to construct a broad gauge track, while two labourers were killed a day later. Earlier, the group had killed a railway pointsman on May 10. The Ministry of Home Affairs has, meanwhile, advised the State Government to intensify patrolling.
