Nagaon, May 12 : The fire of ethnic hate continued to rage in the North Cachar Hills today as militants torched 80 abandoned homes in three villages in Maibong around noon, hours after a goods train escaped derailment when the driver spotted that a stretch of the track was missing.
A railway spokesman in Guwahati said security forces and the driver of the Lumding-Badarpur goods train noticed a section of the track missing near Mupa station around 7.30am this morning.
The train was later taken back to Lumding.
Hours later, around 11.30am, villagers near Maibong town noticed a group in army fatigues rushing towards Zeme Naga villages — Guilung I, Guilung II and adjoining Jhalwa.
Families had abandoned their homes in all three villages, anticipating attacks.
“We saw smoke billowing out of the villages just half-an-hour after the armed group passed us by,” said a villager from an adjoining village.
Police are yet to ascertain the group that carried out today’s attack.
A team of Maibong police rushed to three villages after the attack and launched a massive combing operation to arrest the culprits. “There was nothing except the gutted houses,” a police official said after returning from the site of the incident.
This is the fourth such incident of arson in North Cachar Hills within a fortnight. The police said Maibong subdivision is now dotted with abandoned villages.
To provide food, shelter and healthcare facilities for the homeless villagers, the district administration has opened relief camps at Laisong KM LP School (921 inmates), Hajaichak guest house (108 inmates), Tungje community hall (99 inmates), Kalachand (220 inmates) and Samsadpur (for the homeless of Phaiding village).
Maibong subdivisional officer (civil) Ghana Kanta Pegu said district administration was ready with sufficient relief materials despite Maibong staring at a food crisis.
“Since the rail services are suspended in the district, this area is witnessing a tremendous shortage of essential commodities. The shortage has led to skyrocketing of prices.,” said Amit Johri of Maibong town.
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