By IANS,
Guwahati : At least 12 people, including eight children, were killed and a cluster of huts set ablaze Tuesday by tribal separatists in India’s restive northeastern state of Assam, officials said.
A police spokesperson said heavily armed militants belonging to the Dima Halam Daogah (DHD) group attacked Misadui village in North Cachar Hills district, about 320 km south of Assam’s main city of Guwahati.
“Suspected DHD militants first began torching down huts and then opened indiscriminate fire on fleeing villagers, in which about 12 people were killed,” district police chief Anurag Tangkha told IANS by telephone.
Among those killed were eight children and two women.
“At least a dozen of huts were set ablaze by the militants,” the police officer said.
The village is located in an inaccessible area and inhabited by minority Naga tribes people.
“Police teams have since reached the spot and have launched a hunt to nab the rebels,” Tangkha said.
The district has witnessed a string of attacks. About 50 people were killed in the past three months alone with the DHD, more popularly known as the Black Widow group, responsible for the majority of the incidents.
The Black Widow is fighting for an independent homeland for the Dimasa tribe in southern Assam since 1995.
The leader of the Black Widow Jewel Garlossa was arrested by Assam police from Bangalore last week.