Indian militant clash kills man, injures leader

December 18, 2000
Web posted at: 10:24 AM HKT (0224 GMT)

AGARTALA, India (Reuters) -- A gun battle between rival factions of a separatist militant group in India's northeastern Assam state has killed one man and injured a top leader, military officials said on Sunday.

The clash between two groups of United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) militants killed Raju Barua and injured ULFA chief Paresh Barua, a statement by Indian army spokesman Major A. Bhargava said.

The clash occurred in the Chittagong Hill Tracts in neighboring Bangladesh late on Saturday.

"It is believed that Paresh Barua has been seriously injured and shifted to a Dhaka hospital under tight security," the statement said, but did not give any further details.

ULFA, which was formed in 1979, wants an independent state for the estimated 25 million people living in the oil and tea producing state of Assam.

Police said ULFA has stepped up its activities, killing more than 100 people since October 21 in different parts of Assam.

The guerrillas accuse the federal government of exploiting Assam's natural resources, neglecting the local economy and encouraging outsiders to move into the region.

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