Sanjoy Ghosh's killer shot dead in Assam

JORHAT: ULFA militant Mridul Hazarika, who allegedly killed social activist Sanjoy Ghosh at Majuli island in 1997, has been shot dead by police, officials said on Wednesday.

Jorhat district's Superintendent of Police Surendra Kumar said Hazarika, also linked to several murders and extortion cases, was traced to Gogamukh village on the border of North Lakhimpur and Dhemaji districts and shot dead by police on Tuesday.

Local villagers who witnessed the incident, however, claimed Hazarika shot himself dead when the police confronted him.

Hazarika, a "sergeant major" of ULFA's 28th battalion, had allegedly killed Ghosh because he suspected the social activist was working for intelligence agencies. Ghosh's killed had sparked strong protests in India and abroad.

Hazarika and ULFA militants Phatik Hatimota and Amrit Dutta abducted Ghosh, the general secretary of the NGO Association of Voluntary Agencies for Rural Development, and were ferrying him by boat across the Bramhaputra on July four, 1997 when he tried to escape.

Hazarika allegedly shot dead Ghosh and dumped his body in the river. Ghosh's body was never found.

Dutta and Hatimota are still at large.

Hazarika's body was today handed over to his family at Ratanpur village in lower Majuli.

The Manav Adhikar Sangram Samiti (MASS) and other rights groups called a day-long shutdown in Majuli to protest his death.

Shops and business establishments remained closed on the island. There was no report of any untoward incident, police said.