They fired indiscriminately and threw hand grenades at the crowded weekly market in Kokrajhar. One of the attackers was killed by security forces. Assam, a remote and underdeveloped state, has suffered from years of ethnic and tribal insurgencies. “This attack is intended to destabilize peace in Assam,” said Himanta Biswa Sarma, the state’s finance and health minister. Prime Minister Narendra Modi strongly condemned the attack and said the Home Ministry is in touch with the Assam government. Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has directed Assam Director General of Police Mukesh Sahay to beef up security and launch a vigorous drive to apprehend those behind the “heinous crime”, Sonowal said the militants would be dealt with “very sternly”.
