Spate of abductions in Assam

Jorhat, July 29 : Suspected militants abducted four persons, including two small tea growers and two construction workers, in separate incidents since last night from Tinsukia and Golaghat districts.

While the small tea growers — brothers Bhagawati Prasad and Bijoy Sarma — were taken away from near Tarani reserve forest under Pengeri police station in Tinsukia district at 1pm today, two employees of a construction company were abducted by suspected Karbi militants from the Hatipathar area along the Golaghat-Karbi Anglong district border late last night.

Ulfa rebels are suspected to be behind the Tinsukia abduction. Bijoy was, however, released later.

Police said the brothers were returning from Annapurna tea estate on a motorcycle when a group of armed youths accosted them near Dibrujan tea estate, which is located near Annapurna. Both the brothers were taken inside a nearby jungle and beaten up by the armed group.

The police said while Bijoy was released after the ordeal, the militants took away Bhagawati Prasad at gunpoint.

In the Golaghat abduction, police sources said the militants swooped in on a temporary camp of the Diphu-based Macro Construction Company and took away supervisors Hari Barman and Montu Barman at gunpoint. The workers of the company were engaged in bridge construction in the particular area located inKarbi Anglong.

Sources said although the Dolamora-based unit of public works department had sanctioned funds for construction of nine bridges in the area about four years back, work could not start because of constant harassment by militants who demand money from the firms to which work was allotted.

The particular company had started work on the bridge only a fortnight back. The police said there were about 10 employees, including a few labourers, present at the camp when the militants, dressed in army fatigue, arrived.

“They told the labourers that the two employees would be released only after the owner of the company pays ransom,” a police official at Santipur police station in Karbi Anglong said when contacted over phone.

In another incident, security forces recovered a consignment of arms and ammunition and extortion notes from a forest area under Bokajan police station in Karbi Anglong district last night.