Fourteen civilians have been killed and 15 injured after militants opened indiscriminate fire at a weekly market at Balajan Tinali in Assam. Security forces have killed one of the militants and an AK-47 has been recovered from the terrorist.
Eyewitnesses said attackers wearing military uniforms fired and threw hand grenades at the crowded market in the district of Kokrajhar located about 220 km west of the state's commercial capital Guwahati.
A senior home ministry official in New Delhi said initial investigation indicated that the attack was carried out by separatist militants of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (Songbijit).
However, there hasn't been a claim of responsibility for the attack.
"Police have launched a hunt to trace insurgents hiding near the incident spot. It is a militant attack and we will be sending a team from Delhi to investigate further," the official told Reuters.
Himanta Biswa Sarma, the state's finance and health minister said, "this attack is intended to destabilise peace in Assam."
