GUWAHATI, FEBRUARY 22 (NNN): In an apparent assembly election related violence in Assam, an Adivasi student leader was killed this morning in western Assam’s Kokrajhar district.
The Adivasi students have announced to call Assam bandh on Wednesday in protest against the murder of the student leader.
Today's incident has been seen as the first politics related violence in the poll bound state of Assam.
According to reports received, unidentified motorcycle-borne persons shot Bosco Chermako, 34,point blank at Jacobpur near the Assam-West Bengal border around 10 am while he was driving home from the residence of his in-laws. He was the president of the All Adivasi Students’ Association of Assam (AASAA) and was planning to contest the Gossaigaon assembly seat held by the Bodoland Peoples’ Front (BPF).
The BPF is an ally of the ruling Congress in Assam. “He died on the spot after being shot with automatic rifles from a very close range,” said superintendent of police P.K. Dutta from Kokrajhar town, 250 km west of here.
Bodo and Adivasi tribal militants are active in the area but no militant group has claimed responsibility for the attack on Chermako less than 24 hours after suspected Ulfa rebels targeted a Congress leader in eastern Assam’s Tinsukia district. However, the Adivasi students' body “has a hunch” that a “political conspiracy” got Chermako.
AASAA leader Rafael Kujur said, “His was a political murder. He was spearheading democratic movements for the rights of Adivasis besides preparing to contest the forthcoming polls".
Meanwhile, in protest against the killing, the Adivasi students' body has called dawn-to-dusk 12-hour ‘Assam bandh’ on Wednesday demanding the arrest of the assailants. “We will intensify our agitation if the authorities fail to arrest them,” Kujur said.
The Adivasi students have announced to call Assam bandh on Wednesday in protest against the murder of the student leader.
Today's incident has been seen as the first politics related violence in the poll bound state of Assam.
According to reports received, unidentified motorcycle-borne persons shot Bosco Chermako, 34,point blank at Jacobpur near the Assam-West Bengal border around 10 am while he was driving home from the residence of his in-laws. He was the president of the All Adivasi Students’ Association of Assam (AASAA) and was planning to contest the Gossaigaon assembly seat held by the Bodoland Peoples’ Front (BPF).
The BPF is an ally of the ruling Congress in Assam. “He died on the spot after being shot with automatic rifles from a very close range,” said superintendent of police P.K. Dutta from Kokrajhar town, 250 km west of here.
Bodo and Adivasi tribal militants are active in the area but no militant group has claimed responsibility for the attack on Chermako less than 24 hours after suspected Ulfa rebels targeted a Congress leader in eastern Assam’s Tinsukia district. However, the Adivasi students' body “has a hunch” that a “political conspiracy” got Chermako.
AASAA leader Rafael Kujur said, “His was a political murder. He was spearheading democratic movements for the rights of Adivasis besides preparing to contest the forthcoming polls".
Meanwhile, in protest against the killing, the Adivasi students' body has called dawn-to-dusk 12-hour ‘Assam bandh’ on Wednesday demanding the arrest of the assailants. “We will intensify our agitation if the authorities fail to arrest them,” Kujur said.
