TURA, July 25 � Two police personnel were killed and another critically injured when an IED allegedly planted by the Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) went off in remote Tebronggre village, 25 kms from here, while they were on a routine patrol around 5 pm today.
�Five policemen were on a routine patrol in a vehicle near Tebrongre village when an IED blast occurred�, said SP West Garo Hills, Mukesh Singh.
According to sources, one policeman Arphius Khymdiet succumbed to his injuries before reaching the Tura Civil Hospital. Lamberthu Suchiang, the driver of the vehicle succumbed to his injuries in the Hospital. The third, Rahul Marak, is said to be in a critical condition and is being treated at the Tura Civil Hospital. Two others in the vehicle also suffered injuries. The killed and injured policemen are around 30 years of age.
A police team rushed to the spot immediately. �We are trying to determine whether the IED was fitted with a timer. The back of the vehicle was hit and it toppled over. We believe the sabotage to be the handiwork of the GNLA�, said Singh.
Till the time of the filing of the report, no militant group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Protest: The border towns of Mankachar, Hatsingimari and South Salmara besides other border villages on Wednesday protested against the killing of a labourer in the outskirts of Tura town.
The protest on Wednesday was against the rampant killings, kidnapping for money and extortion that has been rampant in the Garo Hills region and to condemn the killing of the labourer. The stir was organised by the SUCI, Dhubri district.
�There have been more than five reported kidnappings of traders from Mankachar in the last month. Three of them have been killed. The Meghalaya Government has to do something about the security situation�, said Pachan Ali Mondal, a member of SUCI.
