Deputy commander-in-chief of the pro-talks faction of the United People's Democratic Solidarity Rupsin Teron has been shot dead by suspected militants in central Assam's Karbi Anglong district.
Teron was standing in front of a paan (betel) shop last night at Baithalanshu in West Karbi Anglong police district when some persons, suspected to be militants, came in an auto-rickshaw and opened fire, killing him on the spot, Superindent of Police N N Goswami said.
The United People's Democratic Solidarity (UPDS), which came into being in 1999 in Assam's Karbi Anglong district, had signed a cease-fire agreement for one year with the Union Government on May 23, 2002.
This agreement led to the UPDS splitting into two factions - anti-talks and pro-talks.
While the anti-talks faction decided to continue with its insurgency activity rechristening itself as the Karbi Longri North Cachar Hills Liberation Front (KLNLF), the pro-talks faction opted for talks with the state and Union government.
The pro-talks faction held six rounds of peace talks with the state and Union govenrment representatives between 2002 and 2006 before pulling out of the talks process complaining of lack of progress on its core demands.
