Kokrajhar: A suspected Maoist operative, believed to be behind the recent improvised explosive device (IED) blast on a railway track in Assam’s Kokrajhar district, was killed in a police encounter during an anti-insurgency operation, officials said on Saturday.
Kokrajhar Superintendent of Police Pushpraj Singh said the encounter occurred during an early morning raid at Nadanguri, where police teams had launched a search for those involved in Thursday’s railway blast.
“Based on intelligence inputs, we traced a group of militants hiding in the area. When police personnel approached, they came under fire. Our team retaliated, forcing the militants to flee. During a search of the site, one injured militant was found and taken to the hospital, where he was declared dead,” Singh told reporters.
Security forces recovered a pistol, two grenades, and identification documents, including a voter ID and Aadhaar card, from the scene.
The slain militant was identified as Apil Murmu alias Rohit Murmu (40), who, according to police, had links with Maoist networks and was wanted in several insurgency-related cases across Assam and Jharkhand.
Singh said Murmu had a history of involvement in extremist violence since 2015 and maintained dual identities — as Rohit Murmu in Jharkhand and Apil Murmu in Assam’s Kachugaon-Grahampur area.
A Jharkhand police team had also been in Kokrajhar as part of a joint operation to track him down.
“Murmu was suspected to have played a role in the October 2024 train blast in Jharkhand, which bore similarities to the recent Kokrajhar explosion. Evidence suggests he may have orchestrated both incidents,” Singh said.
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Thursday’s IED blast had disrupted train movement across Lower Assam and parts of north Bengal, though no casualties were reported.
Police said Murmu was once associated with the NSLA insurgent outfit.
After its surrender, he fled to Jharkhand, formed a new armed group, and later established ties with Maoist elements to expand his militant network.
Operations are continuing in the region to track down his remaining associates and dismantle the group’s network.
“We believe around 10 militants were present at the encounter site, and efforts are on to apprehend them,” Singh added.
