Agartala: At least five persons including a woman and a child were killed and eight others of whom two were teenaged girls injured in an attack carried out by the insurgents of banned National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) at Jagabandhupara in Tripura's Dhalai district early on April 8.

The ultras, armed with sophisticated weapons, opened indiscriminate firing on a gathering at the marriage ceremony of the son of the village head, Karnajoy Reang, at about 1:00 am (IST), causing instantaneous death of the victims, police said.

The condition of the injured, including two children, who have been rushed to G B hospital in Agartala was stated to be critical, they said, adding that the village head was a local leader of ruling Communist Party of India (CPM) and that the victims of the NLFT attack were Reang tribals and mostly CPM supporters.

The deceased were identified as Satirung Reang (56), Madhurai Reang (28), Kushlaiti Reang (33), Kashiram Reang (11) and Pabitra Reang (30).

Those injured were Billaram Reang (35), Alon Joy Reang (25), Karmajoy Reang (54), Kalpana Reang (15), Lalit Reang (5), Swamirung Reang (15), Bishnu Reang (7) and Aranti Reang.

The Tripura state Rifles have launched a combing operation in the area to nab the culprits, police said.

In an ambush by NLFT ultras on March 29, seven persons including five jawans of Railway Protection Force were killed at Sindhukumarpara, also in Dhalai district.

PTI