The militants emerged from an auto rickshaw wearing army fatigues and opened fire in a crowded market. In retaliation, armed forces killed two militants on the spot.
Mukesh Sahay, head of the police administration of Assam, says that there were three or four attackers. Kokrajhar is located about 220 km west of the state's commercial capital, Guwahati. According to Al Jazeera, 20 of the injured were in critical condition and the death toll is expected to rise.
Terrorist attack in Kokhrajhar market is cowardly and inhumane. Loss of innocent lives so close to 15th August fills our heart with anguish.
— Gaurav Gogoi (@GauravGogoiAsm) August 5, 2016
Spoke to Assam CM Shri @sarbanandsonwal who apprised me of the situation in Kokrajhar. MHA is closely monitoring the situation.
— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) August 5, 2016
Assam's Chief Minister Sarabananda Sonowal spoke with Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the incident, the news agency ANI reported. Authorities in the region have been dealing with a local separatist movement called the National Democratic Front of Bodoland, which hopes to establish a separate state for Bodo tribe members.
