Six persons, including a baby girl, were killed and over a hundred houses of both Karbis and rival tribe Dimasas burnt down in the ethnic violence that erupted in central Assam's Karbi Anglong district on Saturday.
Superintendent of Police Pankaj Sarma told PTI in Diphu that a 20-member group of armed unidentified miscreants in combat fatigue swooped on Borsingbe village, under Diphu police station, at around 2 pm and hacked to death six persons -- two men, three women and the three-year old girl.
They also set ablaze 40 houses in the village and another eight in nearby Killing village before fleeing away.
This was in retaliation for the torching of 58 houses and destruction of property in two Dimasa villages in a pre-dawn
attack on Saturday, the SP said.
A large group of attackers along with some unidentified militants, carrying sophisticated weapons, torched 14 houses in Walingdisa village near Doldoli near Diphu police station.
The marauders then attacked the neighbouring Kathalbari village and set ablaze 44 houses, Sarma said.
Stating no casualty was reported there so far there but there was large scale loss of property, cattle and livestock. The villagers, all belonging to the Dimasa tribe, escaped and took shelter in a primary school.
The villagers claimed that the attackers belonged to the Karbi tribe but the police did not confirm it.
Meanwhile, 3000 Karbis fled the violence affected areas and were taking shelter in the district headquarter Diphu.
Sarma said district administration was in touch with the army following the violence and additional secuity forces were
requisitioned from the state capital to tide of the situation. Karbi Anglong has been rocked by violence recently with
seven Karbis hacked to death by unidentified attackers during this week.