Guwahati, Oct 25: Security forces gunned down a Maoist leader at Salakati in Assam’s Kokrajhar district, who was the mastermind behind the recent IED blast on a railway track in the area.
The deceased Maoist leader has been identified as Ukil Hembram, a native of Jharkhand, who had been operating secretly in Assam for the past few months.
According to police, Hembram was the mastermind behind the IED explosion that occurred between Kokrajhar and Salakati railway stations on October 23.
Acting on specific intelligence, security forces launched an operation in the Salakati area on Friday night, during which the Maoist leader was killed.
“He was injured during the exchange of fire and was admitted to the hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries,” said a source.
Hembram, originally from Jharkhand, had crossed into Assam to coordinate subversive activities, sources said. He had been attempting to establish a base in the state to expand Maoist operations.
Security forces have intensified operations in the area to trace his associates.
The IED explosion occurred in the early hours of Thursday, damaging a section of the railway track between Salakati and Kokrajhar. The blast took place around 1:00 am along the Alipurduar division of the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR), briefly disrupting train movement on the route.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday said, “We have identified the man behind the IED blast between Salakati and Kokrajhar. He has criminal records in Jharkhand and Assam.”
