A car damaged during the attack on Rijen Basumatary’s house Picture by Eastern Projections

Nagaon, Nov. 21: A former leader of the now defunct Bodo Liberation Tigers (BLT), Rijen Basumatary, survived an attempt on his life late last night when a group of suspected National Democratic Front of Boroland rebels attacked his house at Langhin in Karbi Anglong district.

The NDFB rebels — who had taken up position around the house — rained bullets “from 10 to 12 automatic rifles” on the house but he was unhurt, police said.

The incident is certain to pile pressure on the NDFB, which is in the spotlight for alleged complicity of several of its cadres in the October 30 serial blasts in Assam.

Basumatary’s house is located at Sunarijan, a suburb of Langhin town under Dokmoka police outpost, around 185km from Guwahati.

Incidentally, 40-year-old Basumatary stays at a designated camp in the heart of Langhin along with 64 other former BLT rebels and had come home only yesterday to spend a day with his wife. His son and daughter stay in boarding.

Basumatary said over phone today that he and his wife Bibhuti, besides the PSO, were at home when the attack took place. “We hid under the bed to escape the bullets which,” he said.

He added that the PSO tried to retaliate but finally had to fall back and shield himself. “We counted nearly seventy bullet holes on the walls of the house,” D. Bordoloi, sub-inspector of the Dokmoka out-post, said.

This is the third such attack by rival NDFB on ex-BLT cadres in the district.

Basumatary is the district unit chief of ex-BLT Welfare Society since 2006 when two of the organisation’s senior leaders — former president Dankharu Basumatary and vice-president Bijoy Basumatary — were gunned down by the rival Boro group. BLT was disbanded on December 6, 2003, and the welfare society was formed the next day.

NDFB rebels had hurled a grenade and opened fire on people taking part in the cremation ceremony of the former BLT leaders at Langhin.

“After the 2006 incident we established a camp in the heart of Langhin town where all of us live together. Yesterday, Basumatary went home to spend a day with the family,” said welfare society secretary Jowahar Basumatary.

The welfare society secretary said they would submit a memorandum to Dispur tomorrow demanding additional security to former cadres, living inside as well as outside the Langhin camp.