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{{Infobox civilian attack
| title = Tinsukia killings
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| map = {{Location map|India Assam|lat=27.82|long=95.61|caption=}}
| map_caption =
| location = Kherbari, [[Tinsukia district]], [[Assam]], [[India]]
| target = [[Bengali Hindus]]
| coordinates =
| date = 1 November 2018
| time =
| timezone = UTC+5:30
| type = [[Massacre]]
| fatalities = 5 men
| injuries = 2
| perps = [[ULFA|ULFA (Independent)]] (suspected)
| weapons = firearms
| numparts =
}}
On 1 November 2018, suspected militants of [[ULFA]] (Independent) massacred five Bengali Hindus on the banks of Brahmaputra near Kherbari village in [[Tinsukia district]] of [[Assam]]. Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal condemned the killings. [[Mamata Banerjee]], the Chief Minister of [[West Bengal]] condemned the killings and pointed towards the [[National Register of Citizens of India|NRC]] process as the trigger behind the killings. ULFA (Independent) denied any involvement in the massacre.

== Background ==
As early as in 2016, ULFA warned Bengali Hindu individuals and organizations not to support the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill.<ref name="pioneer26102016">{{cite news |last1=Sharm |first1=Anup |title=Ulfa warns Hindu Bengalis in Assam |url=https://www.dailypioneer.com/2016/india/ulfa-warns-hindu-bengalis-in-assam.html |access-date=3 November 2018 |work=The Pioneer |publisher=The Pioneer Group |date=26 October 2016}}</ref> On 13 October, the ULFA (Independent) detonated a low intensity bomb in [[Guwahati]] to warn the [[Bengali Hindu]] organizations protesting the exclusion of names of Bengali Hindu refugees from the NRC.<ref>{{cite news |last=Saha|first=Abhishek|date=14 October 2018|title=At least three hurt in Guwahati blast, ULFA says warning for Hindu Bengali outfits|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/guwahati/at-least-three-hurt-in-guwahati-blast-ulfa-says-warning-for-hindu-bengali-outfits-5401108/|work=The Indian Express|location=Guwahati|access-date=2 November 2018}}</ref> It claimed that the Bengali Hindu organizations were working against the interests of the indigenous Assamese people and conspiring against Assam. A week before the incident, Assam Police received intelligence input about attacks in Bengali inhabited areas.<ref name="tie02112018">{{cite news |last1=Saha |first1=Abhishek |title=Five Bengali-speaking workers shot in Assam, police suspect ULFA |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/north-east-india/assam/five-bengali-speaking-workers-shot-in-assam-police-suspect-ulfa-5430251/ |access-date=2 November 2018 |work=The Indian Express |publisher=The Express Group |date=2 November 2018}}</ref> On 25 November the pro-talk faction of the ULFA leadership stated that the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 must be stopped from being passed at the Parliament. If it gets passed, he threatened to turn Assam into a 1983-like situation where the Bengali people would be massacred again.<ref name="nenow26102018">{{cite news |title=FIR against Mrinal Hazarika for his remarks against Bengali community |url=https://nenow.in/north-east-news/kokrajhar-unit-abbysf-files-fir-mrinal-hazarika.html |access-date=2 November 2018 |work=Northeast Now |date=26 October 2018}}</ref>

== Killings ==
In the evening of 1 November 2018, six or seven Bengali Hindu youths were relaxing at a shop and playing ludo in the Kherbari village. Around 8-30 PM IST five or six unidentified gunmen arrived at the spot and rounded up the youths. They were taken to the banks of the Brahmaputra river, about six kilometers from the Dhola-Sadiya bridge. The gunmen forced the youths to sit on a line. At around 8:55 PM IST the gunmen opened fire on the youths from a point blank range. Five out of the seven people died on the spot. The two critically injured survivors were rushed to the hospital.

== Reactions ==
Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal condemned the killings. Sushmita Dev, Member of Parliament from Silchar too condemned the killings.<ref>{{cite news |date=1 November 2018 |title=Bloodbath In Assam: ULFA Militants Murder Five Bengalis in Tinsukia |url=https://www.barakbulletin.com/en_US/bloodbath-in-assam-ulfa-militants-murder-five-bengalis-in-tinsukia/|work=Barak Bulletin|access-date=2 November 2018}}</ref> [[Mamata Banerjee]], the Chief Minister of West Bengal condemned the killings and lay the blame on the NRC process.

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{Violence against Bengali Hindus in Assam}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tinsukia killings}}

{{#seo:
|keywords=2018 crimes in India, 2018 murders in Asia, 2010s murders in India, 2010s in Assam, Mass murder in 2018, Mass murder in India, Massacres of Bengali Hindus, November 2018 crimes in Asia, November 2018 events in India, Tinsukia district
|description=
}}

[[Category:2018 crimes in India]]
[[Category:2018 murders in Asia]]
[[Category:2010s murders in India]]
[[Category:2010s in Assam]]
[[Category:Mass murder in 2018]]
[[Category:Mass murder in India]]
[[Category:Massacres of Bengali Hindus]]
[[Category:November 2018 crimes in Asia]]
[[Category:November 2018 events in India]]
[[Category:Tinsukia district]]

2018 Tinsukia killings - Revision history

MetaBOT at 19:39, 8 July 2023