Kokrajhar: Security forces shot dead the suspected mastermind of the recent railway track explosion in a late-night encounter at Salakati in Assam’s Kokrajhar district.
The deceased has been identified as Ipil Murmu, a Maoist leader from Jharkhand, who had reportedly been operating covertly in the region for the past several months. According to security sources, Murmu played a key role in orchestrating the IED blast that damaged a section of railway track between Kokrajhar and Salakati on October 23.
Acting on specific intelligence inputs, security forces launched an operation in the Salakati area on Friday night. During the encounter, Murmu was fatally shot. Officials said he had been leading a small group of extremists attempting to expand Maoist influence in lower Assam.
Security agencies believe Murmu had crossed into Assam to coordinate subversive activities and establish new networks. Following the encounter, operations have been intensified to track down his suspected associates and dismantle the remaining Maoist links in the region.
The October 23 blast occurred around 1:00 AM on the Alipurduar division of the Northeast Frontier Railway, damaging a section of track and temporarily disrupting train movement. Personnel from Assam Police, RPF, GRP, and intelligence agencies reached the spot shortly after, while bomb disposal and forensic teams began analysing the explosive remnants.
Train services were restored after engineers completed urgent repairs and safety inspections along the affected stretch.
