The Trinamul Congress will send a delegation of MPs and MLAs to Assam on Sunday to “stand by” the families of those killed in Tinsukia, as the party continued with its protests across Bengal condemning the massacre.

The delegation, which will have Trinamul’s Rajya Sabha leader Derek O’Brien, MPs Nadimul Haque and Mamata Bala Thakur, and MLA Mahua Moitra, plans to take an early-morning flight from Calcutta to Dibrugarh and then proceed to Tinsukia, over 40km away, to meet the families of the five Bengali-speaking persons killed in Upper Assam by unidentified gunmen on Thursday.

Sources said the members had been instructed to “anyhow” attempt to reach the families. Asked what the delegates would do if they were stopped, a senior Trinamul leader said: “Let’s be positive.”

In August, in the wake of the NRC controversy, an eight-member delegation of Trinamul lawmakers had been detained at Silchar airport and sent back the next day.

“It is a timely and smart political move. Even if the delegates fail to get beyond the airport this time too, the mission will be a success,” said a source, hinting that it would draw national attention.

Senior Trinamul leaders said chief minister Mamata Banerjee would try to corner the BJP over the Assam turmoil.

For the second consecutive day, Trinamul organised protest rallies against the Assam massacre. The Congress also held several rallies, observing a “black day”.

Pro-talks Ulfa leader Jiten Dutta, who was arrested on Friday for allegedly making provocative statements, was remanded in judicial custody on Saturday. The person who had lodged the FIR against him, All Assam Bengali Youth Students’ Federation leader Sujit Sarkar, was arrested on Saturday on the same charge.

The 12-hour Assam bandh called in protest against the Tinsukia killings paralysed life at Barak Valley in south Assam on Saturday.