Bhimajuli Massacre of 2009 " Black Day of Assam"

In 2009 Bhimajuli terrorists attack on the Gorkhas during Durga festive season .12 persons including 7 Gorkhas were killed in a gruesome attack by the anti-talks faction of National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) militants at Bhimajuli near Balichang police outpost area under Biswanath Chariali subdivision in Sonitpur district on 4th October evening in 2009 during festive Durgapuja celebrations and several injured. This day should be seen one of darkest day of secular and democratic nation like India so we the AAGSU term it as a ‘blackday’. Gorkhas of Assam and the Northeast will never give any space to terrorism of any form and denounce it vehemently in strongest terms. Gorkhas have been known as brave revolutionary fighters so we are believer of democratic means of revolutions and will not tolerate at any cost, any attempt to terrorize and make Assam, heaven of terrorism.’ 

On the night of the attack, the villagers were preparing for the festival when all of a sudden tamed domestic dogs started barking .The barking got louder and louder as if some danger was approaching. The air was now filled with fire cracker like sound in a nearby location and youths speaking Bodo language armed marching towards them through the paddy field. On our interrogation we could estimate there were about 3 groups with 6 members each. All the four groups operated at a time on hearing a whistle from its commander. Three out of six members were suicide attackers while three members were meant for cover-up. The length of the village is 1.5 kms (app) and they operated at a time from four places at half kilometers distance apart so the casualty could be high. Continuous blind firing were shot at houses targeting anyone in front of the gun point not sparing even children. It was obvious that this act of brutality was simply to show their underground power and showcase their existence as terrorists. The militants carried out their mission as planned and the Assam history recorded the most inhuman killing in recent times. One of the villagers, Dewen Bora sighted a group armed with AK-47 rifles. 

He alerted his wife Dulumoni and daughter Junumoni while he was shot. Drunken terrorists considering him dead went ahead while he rang up the Balichang police out post. By then, they shot dead his wife and daughter. The same group fired at the house of a widow Ashakrami Manju Devi who was with her eleven year old son Suruj Upadhyay. But the dastard militants shot her dead from close range near the toilet while hidden Suruj was left. At the same time other groups were operating in other parts of village and now the people were clear that something untoward was happening.In front of Manju Devi’s house, Phulmoni Gard, a daily wage earner was shot who later succumbed to her injuries at the Guwahati Medical College Hospital (GMCH), 7 year old Laku Gard was left all alone to bear the testimony of the heinous attack. Even bullet ridden Krishna Gard (13) died on the fateful day in Knakalata Civil Hospital, Tezpur, the administrative district head quarter of Sonitpur where all the injured were shifted initially and those critically injured were shifted to GMCH, Guwahati. 

The other group of terrorists were all ready to create menace at the house of Man Bahadur Chettri.70 year old mother of Chandra Chetri , Smti Goma Devi had been to Man bahadur Chetri’s house to speak to a relative who had came from Gorddhowa to put on “Dassain Tika”. All were sitting in the drawing room, while the terrorists entered the house and killed them. Fortunately, the guest could escape. He also bears the testimony as he injured his leg with undirected bullet. However, the other members of the family escaped as they had been to a Lakhi Pooja mela nearby and had not returned till then. Recalling the incident Indira Chettri,an eye witness, said “They shot every one mercilessly; they didn’t listen to the pleas made by the victims. They even refired to make sure that everyone in the room died and before leaving the room, they opened various rounds of fire”. The third group by now had killed Chabilal Telenga and had shot Bhuban Newar. The entire group met at the other end of the village and planned to attack the house of Thuleswar Pradhan, a government school teacher and small tea grower who was known to be resilient for paying extortion bids to the banned outfits. 

The family was having dinner early to leave for a local mela with the children while 11 months old Namita was sleeping in the cot. On the north of dining hall through the open window terrorist brutally shot Pradhan and family from a very close range. Ranju Pradhan (6) was found lying on the dining table with rice in her mouth while Thuleswar lied flat on the floor and his wife Lalita Pradhan lay senseless on the table. Senior Pradhan both wife and husband while trying to run away were ridden with bullets on their leg and even today they are struggling for life. Ranju Pradhan later breathed her last on the way to GMCH while Laita is fighting for life at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi. She underwent a major operation to remove a bullet from her small intestine at the GMCH. After committing this heinous crime the heavily armed militants walked out of the village towards Arunachal border with their mission ompleted. One and half hour after the mayhem, the police arrived from barely 7 kms distance to do the preliminary investigations. This is how the incompetent administration and inefficient police action led to such a barbaric incident.