2018 Tinsukia killings
{{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 women
| injuries = 2
| perps = ULFA (Independent) (suspected)
| weapons = Guns like ak-47
| numparts =
}}
On November 1, 2018, suspected militants from the ULFA (Independent), a terrorist group banned by the Indian government and designated a "concerning entity" by the U.S., massacred five Bengali Hindus near Kherbari village in Tinsukia district, Assam. Victims Nisha Das, Sumana Das, Ranjita Das, Mita Kumari, and Manika Chandra were found with gunshot wounds on a bridge in Bisonimukh Kherabari. The attack, attributed to anti-Bengali sentiments, shows growing hatred against Bengali-speaking communities. Authorities recovered 38 AK-47 cartridges at the scene.
Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal condemned the killings. Mamata Banerjee, the Chief Minister of West Bengal condemned the killings and pointed towards the NRC process as the trigger behind the killings.{{Cite journal |last=Saikia |first=Arunabh |date= |title=In Assam’s Tinsukia district, killings of Bengalis spark anxiety among Hindi-speaking residents |url=https://scroll.in/article/901406/in-assams-tinsukia-district-killings-of-bengalis-spark-anxiety-among-hindi-speaking-residents |journal=Scroll.in}} The group seeks to create a clear distinction between "Assamese" and "non-Assamese" populations, targeting long-established residents, including Bengali, Bihari, Marwari, and Nepali communities. ULFA's involvement in anti-Bengali activities has been a source of significant unrest in the region, undermining social harmony and fostering an environment of ethnic and communal intolerance. This ideology of exclusion and violence, which seeks to marginalize and displace non-Assamese citizens, poses a grave threat to the region's peace and unity.{{Cite journal |last=Naqvi |first=Sadiq |title=Targeted because we are Bengalis, says lone survivor of Tinsukia killings |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/targeted-because-we-are-bengalis-says-lone-survivor-of-tinsukia-killings/story-EU1umIt6u6IzmmuxH5NHCJ.html |journal=Hindusthan Times}}
Background
As early as in 2016, ULFA warned Bengali Hindu individuals and organizations not to support the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill.{{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}} 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.{{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}} 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.{{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}} 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.{{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}}
Killings
In the evening of 1 November 2018, six or seven Bengali Hindu women including Jemimah Rodrigues and Smriti Mandhana 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 women. They were taken to the banks of the Brahmaputra river, about six kilometers from the Dhola-Sadiya bridge. The gunmen forced the women to sit on a line. At around 8:55 PM IST the gunmen opened fire on the women from a point blank range. Five out of the seven people died on the spot. The two including Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues 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.{{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}} 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}}
Category:2018 murders in India
Category:21st-century mass murder in India
Category:Massacres of Bengali Hindus in India
Category:November 2018 crimes in Asia
Category:November 2018 in India