1 TRANSLATION OF THE PROCEEDINGS AND ... - APFA News

iii) Two buses coming from Samdrup Jongkhar to Phuentsholing came
under heavy gunfire near Gossaigaon on National Highway 31 in
Assam. The driver and a passenger of one of the buses were killed on the
spot while two passengers who were taken to the hospital were critically
injured. There were 33 bullet marks on one bus and 22 bullet marks on
the second bus.
Iv) On 21 st December, 2000, a truck belonging to a businessman from
Nganglam was stopped on the road from Highway 31 to Nganglam at a
place called Rangapani where the BLT have their office. Two members
of the BLT got into the truck and about half a kilometre away they were
joined by six armed BLT militants. As soon as they reached a forested
area they stopped the truck, extorted Nu. 10,000 from its owner and
released him along with the truck. Ten passengers were kept behind as
hostages. When the Royal Bhutan Police at Nganglam went to check the
next day on 22nd December, they found the bodies of all 10 hostages at
the site of the incident.
v) A group of Bhutanese trading in soya beans was attacked at their camp
in Bangmari, Assam. Their huts were burnt down and one man was shot
dead while another was seriously injured.
In the tragic incidents which took place on 20 th and 21 st December 2000, five
Bhutanese vehicles were attacked out of which three were burnt down, 15
Bhutanese people were killed and 19 others injured. Among the dead were
several women and school students. These unbearable acts of violence against
Bhutanese travellers were carried out by the BLT.
As the hon’ble members are aware, the Bodos unlike the ULFA have been
demanding separate statehood from Assam. However, during the past several
years the Bodo activists split into two groups with different objectives. The BLT
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