5 shot in Assam; strong action against perpetrators, says CM
Kheronibari (Assam), Nov 1: Three members of a family were among five people shot dead by suspected ULFA (Independent) while two others were injured at Kheroni in Assam's Tinsukia district Thursday night, police said.
A group of assailants with sophisticated weapons came to this village near Dhola-Sadiya bridge and called out five-six people from their house around 8 pm, they said.
They then opened indiscriminate fire upon those people before fleeing under the cover of darkness, a police officer said.
Police suspect the gunmen belonged to the ULFA (Independent) faction as they were in battle fatigue.
Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal condemned "the killing of innocent people" and conveyed his sympathy to the bereaved families.
"Strong action will be taken against the perpetrators of this dastardly violence. We will not tolerate such cowardly act," he told PTI.
Sonowal said he has directed state ministers Keshav Mahanta and Tapan Gogoi along with DGP Kuladhar Saikia to rush to the spot.
"We will not spare the culprits of the killings and they will be brought to book," he said.
The chief minister appealed to the people of Assam to maintain peace and harmony.
He also directed all deputy commissioners and SPs to remain alert.
According to Tinsukia Superintendent of Police Mukdhajyoti Mahanta, the bodies have been taken to the Sadia Civil Hospital for postmortem.
Industries and Commerce Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary, former chief minister Tarun Gogoi, opposition Congress state president Ripun Bora, AIUDF general secretary Aminul Islam and the Assam Sahitya Sabha were among those who also denounced the incident.
Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, in a Twitter post, wondered if the attack was related to developments around the National Register of Citizens (NRC).
"Is this the outcome of recent NRC development," she questioned.
Banerjee strongly condemned the incident and offered condolences to the families of the deceased.
"Terrible news coming out of Assam. We strongly condemn the brutal attack in Tinsukia... We have no words to express our deep sorrow to the grieving families. The perpetrators must be punished at the very earliest," she added.
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Informing Pakistan ahead of Operation Sindoor was a crime: Rahul Gandhi on Jaishankar's 'admission'
New Delhi, May 17 (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday hit out at the government for "informing" Pakistan about targeting terror infrastructure as part of Operation Sindoor, saying it was a crime and asking who had authorised it.
In a post on X, Gandhi questioned External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar for publicly admitting that the government of India (GOI) had informed Pakistan of the action and asked how many aircraft the Indian Air Force lost as a result.
"Informing Pakistan at the start of our attack was a crime. EAM has publicly admitted that GOI did it. Who authorised it? How many aircraft did our air force lose as a result?" said Gandhi, the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha.
He also shared an undated video of Jaishankar saying India had informed Pakistan of the action against terror infrastructure on its soil.
Jaishankar can be heard saying in the video, "At the start of the operation, we had sent a message to Pakistan, saying, 'We are striking at terrorist infrastructure and we are not striking at the military.'"
"So the military has the option of standing out and not interfering in this process. They chose not to take that good advice," the minister can be heard saying in the clip.
The Press Information Bureau (PIB), however, has debunked claims that Jaishankar had said India informed Pakistan ahead of Operation Sindoor. In a post on X, the PIB's Fact Check Unit said the minister had not made any such statement and that he was being misquoted.
Operation Sindoor was the Indian offensive against terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) following the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam.
Informing Pakistan at the start of our attack was a crime.
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) May 17, 2025
EAM has publicly admitted that GOI did it.
1. Who authorised it?
2. How many aircraft did our airforce lose as a result? pic.twitter.com/KmawLLf4yW
