ELECTIONS '98
COMMENTARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
YEH HAI INDIA!
ARCHIVES

Tripura minister killed in ambush

Tripura Health Minister Bimal Sinha and one of his younger brothers, Bidyut, were killed in an ambush by suspected National Liberation Front of Tripura guerillas at Abhanga under Kamalpur subdivision in Dhalai district on Tuesday morning.

This is the first time in the state's history that a minister has fallen prey to the militants's bullets.

According to official sources, the militants fired random shots from sophisticated weapons soon after the minister got down from his car at about 1130 hours on the Kamalpur-Ambassa road. Sinha died on the spot. He was 50.

Another brother of the slain minister, Bikram, a contractor, was abducted by suspected NLFT militants just before the February 16 assembly and Lok Sabha election in the state and was released only today.

The situation in Kamalpur and other parts of Dhalai was stated to be very tense. Security measures have been tightened to prevent any untoward incidents.

UNI

Tell us what you think of this report