Assam: Ultras abduct two railway drivers

Unidentified gunmen abducted two railway drivers from a hilly area near Bairabi Railway station in remote Kolasib district in Mizoram late on Thursday. The abduction sparked mass protests by the railway staff in south Assam on Friday, paralysing railway services in Silchar-Badarpur section.

A Northeast Frontier Railway spokesman informed that two drivers -- P K Bhattacharrya and A K Sharma -- were abducted around 7.30 pm on Thursday evening when their train was approaching Bairabi station. The train had left Lalabazar station in the Hailakandi district of south Assam at 7.10 pm.

The police from both Assam and Mizoram launched an operation to trace the abducted railway drivers. A railway official informed that no ransom demand had been received so far for release of the drivers.

Meanwhile, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi accused Naga rebel groups National Socialist Council of Nagaland - Isak-Muivah

for creating trouble in the Dima Hasao hill district, which has been limping back to normalcy after both factions of militant group Dima Halam Daogah had come forward to start a peace dialogue with the government.

Gogoi said his government was aware of the NSCN-IM's design to foment trouble in Dima Hasao district and would take up the matter with the Central government, which has a truce agreement going on with the rebel group.
The NSCN-IM is suspected to be promoting a newly-formed insurgent group called Hill Tiger Force in Dima Hasao.

The HTF, which has been formed by elements from the non-Dimasa tribes, set fire to 19 houses and killed one person in a pre-dawn raid on two Dimasa tribe villages on October 16. The HTF is opposed to the peace process.