Five people were killed in Assam on Thursday after trucks in Dima Hasao district were set ablaze allegedly by the rebels of the Dimasa National Liberation Army (DNLA), reported NDTV. Security personnel rushed to the spot – Rangerbeel on Umrangsu Lanka Road – and recovered the bodies.

The police officials in the state said that the terrorists also fired several shots at the truck drivers and other people before setting the trucks on fire. Media reports suggest that at least seven trucks were destroyed.

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We were informed that five suspected militants, first fire several bullets at the trucks and people in it and then set the rucks ablaze. We suspect the militant organisation DNLA to be behind this attack,” NDTV quoted Jayant Singh, Superintendent of Police (Dima Hasao District) as saying.

The Army and police units posted in the region are conducting a combing operation and in-depth investigation in the affected area, which is over 200 km from Guwahati. Five bodies have been recovered so far.

“We have recovered five bodies and are carrying out a search operation with the help of Assam Rifles. An investigation has already begun,” Singh added.

According to NDTV, the trucks that were set on fire were carrying coal and other material for a nearby cement manufacturing plant.

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The affected Dima Hasao district, which was once the centre of chaos and insurgent activities and groups had been comparatively peaceful for the past five years and a certain degree of calm was restored. However, the incident has sparked a sense of fear once again.

Earlier in May, the Indian security forces killed at least six DNLA terrorists in an encounter in the Dhansiri area of
Karbi Anglong district. The militants were found with arms and ammunition, the police said.

Formed in 2019, the Dimasa National Liberation Army (DNLA) is believed to be active in the Dima Hasao and Karbi Anglong disticts, as well as parts of neighbouring Nagaland.