GUWAHATI, Jan 18: Forty villagers who went to collect firewood have been injured, when suspected Bodo miscreants attacked them inside a forest in lower Assam's Dhubri district. Earlier report said 80 villagers were injured in the attack.``Forty villagers from the Chapgarh area got injured when about 12 Bodo miscreants assaulted them with lathis and some blunt weapons in the dense forest, about nine km from Gauripur town, yesterday,'' the Dhubri Deputy Commissioner B R Samal told PTI over phone from Dhubri.The victims belonged to a minority community.
While 30 of them received minor injuries and were discharged after first aid, the rest were admitted to the Gauripur hospital, he said. The condition of some of them were stated to be critical.
Bodos from the Mantapara area who were against felling of trees beat up the 40 people who had gone to collect firewood in the reserve forest before escaping, he said.The area was deep inside the forest it took some time for the police to reach the spot which allowedthe miscreants to escape.
The Deputy Commissioner said initial report about the casualty figures was incorrect as it took some time for the authorities to determine the damage.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
