Black Widow retaliates, kill nine  

Guwahati, May 11: In a retaliatory attack, suspected cadres of the Black Widow (DHD anti-talk faction) on Sunday killed eight construction workers at a place called Phaidang under Mahur Police station in central Assam’s NC Hills district. 

The incident took place at around 2 pm when an armed group of Black Widow militants came and started indiscriminate firing on the team of workers who were engaged by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI). 

District Additional Superintendent of Police S Ghosh confirmed the incident and said that hands of Black Widow militants were suspected behind the incident.   

This is the second attack in less than 24 hours by the Black Widow militants after the army had killed 12 cadres of the outfit at Haralu village in the district on Saturday morning. On Saturday night, the militants attacked the Wardeng Disa railway station and killed one railway staff.  

Meanwhile, Chief Public Relation Officer (CPRO) of the Northeast Frontier railway (NFR) Samir Goswami said that the NFR might go for stopping of passenger trains in the Lumding-Badarpur Hill section of the Lumding railway division of the NFR due to frequent militant attacks in and around the NC Hills area. 

He confirmed the attack on the Wardeng Disa railway station, 72 kms away from Lumding, by the suspected Black Widow militants (DHD anti-talk faction) on Saturday night and added that one railway staff died on the spot. 

“The NFR might have to think to stop running of trains in the section if the similar attacks by the militants continue,” said the CPRO. 

The attack was believed to be a retaliation by the Black Widow militants as earlier on the day 12 cadres of the outfit were suspected to have been killed by Army during an encounter at Haralu village in the district.  

The army, however, denied the causality on the part of the militants. Following the incident, the Publicity secretary of the Black Widow P Dimasa had also threatened to pull out from the unilateral ceasefire with the government of India.  

Goswami said that a delegation of the NFR led by the General Manager have rushed to the spot on Sunday morning by a special train to take stock of the situation. “Several railway properties have also been damaged by the attack. 

“This is not the first time that the passengers and staffs of the railway have been attacked by the militants in the Lumding-Badarpur Hills section of the NFR,” said Goswami while adding that the this kind of attack by the militants might force the NFR to stop running trains in the section.