The Dibrugarh deputy commissioner, meanwhile, has instituted a magisterial probe into the incident, while the army has begun its own investigations, after finding prima facie evidence against Major Jamir Khan of the Jat Regiment.

The media, especially the vernacular press has come all out against the army in the state, more so after the army authorities tried to justify the detention of one Atanu Sarma, accusing him of being a pick-pocket, for nearly an hour after a major blast occured in the Guwahati Railway Station earlier last week.

The wives of the three former ULFA (United Liberation Front of Assam) leaders who were gunned down by Major Khan on the other hand have filed a petition in the Guwahati High Court seeking a high-level probe intothe killings, as also praying for exemplary punishment to Major Khan and his accomplices.

The issue has shot into prominence because Major Khan did not kill the three youths, Rana Gogoi, Utpal Barua and Rajiv Phukan, as part of his counter-insurgency operations. The officer is stated to have gone to the house of one of the youths, took part in a drinking session, and then accused them of lodging a complaint against him with the higher-ups in the army, and then shot them dead.

There are at least a dozen witnesses to the gruesome murders, with some even from the regiment to which Major Khan belonged. Reports have said that Major Khan snatched an AK-47 rifle from one of his jawans to shoot down the three youths. Other witnesses include some Assam Police constables deployed as personal security officers to some of the former ULFA leaders, and also five or six other former ULFA cadres.

The former militants had apparently complained to the General Officer Commanding of 2 Mountain Division at Dinjan that MajorKhan had embezzled about Rs three crore, which was part of about Rs 4.4 crore which Khan's unit had recovered during a recent operation against the ULFA in a nearby village.

The killing has embarrassed the army and the various organisations have once again demanded withdrawal of the army from operations against militants in Assam.

Prominent organisations which have pleaded for withdrawal of the army and vesting of responsibility of tackling the situation on the state police, include the Assam Sahitya Sabha, the All Assam Students' Union, Manab Adhikar Sangram Samiti and Asom Jatiyabadi Yuva Chatra Parishad.

Some groups have also accused the army of having a hand in the killing of several family members of top ULFA leaders like chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa, commander-in-chief Paresh Barua and publicity secretary Mithinga Daimari.

Last week's triple murder is not the only instance of the armymen crossing limits. Armed with the Armed Forces (special powers) Act, the army had in 1994, killed five innocentyouths in Tinsukia district in a fake encounter, while in several other instances, the high court has pulled up the army for various crimes inflicted upon the common people. It was only a few weeks ago that two jawans of the army were found guilty of raping a married woman in Nalbari district, with an army court awarding both of them ten years rigorous imprisonment.