Silchar, August 18 2009: A woman was killed, six persons were injured and 32 houses burnt in a Dimasa village in Assam's North Cachar Hills early this morning, breaking a monthlong lull in the ethnic violence in the district.

The attack came just a few hours before Prime Minister Manmohan Singh expressed concern over the situation in North Cachar Hills at a meeting of chief ministers on internal security convened by him in New Delhi.

Police said a large number of Naga villagers, allegedly aided by NSCN (Isak-Muivah) militants, attacked Bonkai village on the district's border with Nagaland around 4am. North Cachar Hills superintendent of police Anurag Tankha said the attack came when the villagers were on their way to nearby jhum fields.

Quoting reports, Tankha said a Dimasa woman, who is yet to be identified, was the first to be gunned down in the spray of bullets from "sophisticated firearms".

Six others were also injured in the attack.

The attackers then proceeded towards the hamlet and burnt 32 houses.

Tankha said additional squads of police and paramilitary forces had been rushed to the border areas from Haflong and Maibong towns.

Bonkai, under Maibong subdivision, is located at least 40km from Maibong town and 75km from the district headquarters of Haflong.

The incident comes at a time when both the Centre and the state government are exploring the possibility of initiating peace parleys with the DHD (Jewel) on the condition that the rebels should deposit all their arms with the district police before talks get under way.

Union cabinet secretary K.M.Chandrashekhar is expected to discuss the arms surrender issue with Assam chief secretary P.C.Sarma and DGP Shankar Barua at a meeting in New Delhi on Thursday.

In the meeting on internal security this morning, the Prime Minister said the Centre was concerned about the rehabilitation of those affected by violence in the district.

In the latest series of violence, a group of Zeme Nagas from North Cachar Hills had torched 15 Dimasa houses in Sanpur village on the district's boundary with Cachar district on July 17 .

On June 30, three Zema Naga women, including a 15-year-old, were hacked to death by suspected Dimasa tribals in a retaliatory attack at Hereguilya village near the block headquarters town of Mahur, 60km from Haflong, in North Cachar Hills.

Intra-tribal attacks, which have rocked the district since March, have become a regular feature in North Cachar Hills.

In today's attack, the Naga raiders are suspected to have crossed the Assam-Nagaland boundary and swooped on the village.

Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi told the conference today that militants from Nagaland, who are now in a ceasefire, were involved in the violent activities in North Cachar Hills.

He said it was necessary to enforce ceasefire ground rules and restrict their movement outside Nagaland, official sources said.

Security experts in North Cachar Hills today again pointed out the urgent need to set up border checkposts and deploy additional troops to foil attempts by Naga miscreants to swoop down on the district from their hideouts in Nagaland and carry out attacks.

Union home secretary G.K.Pillai had discussed the setting up of border outposts and deployment of reinforcements in a meeting with top officials of the administration and police in Guwahati last month.

A senior police officer said arrangements were being made to open checkposts along the district's inter-state boundary with both Nagaland and Manipur.

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