M A I N   N E W S

ULFA guns down 30 in Assam

GUWAHATI, Dec 7 (UNI) — The ULFA’s orgy of violence against the non-Assamese continued as at least 30 Biharis and Nepalese, were mowed down and at least 30 critically wounded in an ambush at Kukurmara forest area in Tinsukia district of Upper Assam today.

The police said when the victims were returning in three trucks from Sonpura bazaar, the militants sprayed bullets indiscriminately from automatic rifles, killing 30 of them on the spot and injuring at least 30 others.

Senior civil and police officials rushed to the spot and launched a massive combing operation to apprehend the militants. The injured had been hospitalised.

The toll might go up as details were yet to be received, they said.

This was the second massacre within a week in the state.

Earlier, 19 Hindi-speaking people were gunned down by the extremists in Bongaigaon district.  

I cooked up story: guard
Shooting at Naval chief’s house

NEW DELHI, Dec 7 (PTI, UNI) — The mysterious shootout at the official residence of Naval Chief Admiral Sushil Kumar last week was today given another twist with the Navy claiming that the injured commando guard had in fact tried to commit suicide, failing which he fabricated evidence of intrusion.

The guard, Satbir told the Naval Enquiry Board that he was suffering from “severe depression” due to on-going family feud and decided to commit suicide in the wee hours of December 1, but having lost his nerve cooked up the intrusion theory, according to a statement issued by the Navy here.

The guard amended his statement on the shootout post intrusion bid before the board which has been forwarded by the Naval authorities to the Delhi Police investigating the case, the statement said.

According to the statement, the guard had told Naval Enquiry Board that he was having severe problems with his brother and father. He also said that he had been driven to suicide as his father had recently severely manhandled him.

The sensational shootout in which the guard claimed to have fired 20 rounds to foil an intrusion bid into the residence of the Naval chief in the high security zone had sent shock waves among the police and intelligence agencies.

From day one Delhi Police officials had been doubting the intrusion bid not ruling out that the whole affair could be an inside job.

However, the Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Sushil Kumar had at a press conference ruled out the “insider theory”.

The police were also thrown a bit off-track by more empty cartridges being found in the lawns of 12-Rajaji Marg, four days after the alleged shootout and after the security agencies had carried out a thorough search of the premises.

Police Commissioner Ajai Raj Sharma had told reporters yesterday that there were differences in the statement of Satbir and the investigations made by the Delhi Police.

The city police chief had claimed that the mystery would be solved within the next two days. “I hope to come out with some solution soon,” he had said.

The guard, part of the Naval Commando detachment protecting the house, is at present hospitalised with bullet injury in his thigh.

Naval sources said the guard’s amended statement had been sent to the police for corroboration, adding that further investigations would continue.

The sources said that committing suicide was a penal offence under the Navy Act.

Asked if the guard would be handed over to police, the sources said the naval commando would be proceeded against under the naval laws.

The story that a gun-wielding man stole into Admiral Sushil Kumar’s house in the dead of the night, opened fire when challenged and managed to escape despite the security personnel firing 20 shots did not go down too well with the Crime Branch of the Delhi Police which picked several holes in Navy’s statement.

Satbir Singh later said he had fabricated the story about an intrusion, to guard his family interests.

Police sources wondered why the man had shot himself in the thigh if he had wanted to commit suicide.

The Delhi Police had even gone to the extent of stating that it did not rule out a connection between the ‘intrusion’ and the Navy Day reception hosted by Admiral Sushil Kumar on December 4 which was attended by the President and Prime Minister besides several other dignitaries. A piece of cordex wire had led the police to believe that there might be a link.