In a late-night encounter at Salakati in Assam’s Kokrajhar district, security forces shot dead a Maoist leader who was believed to be the main planner behind the recent railway track blast that had shaken the region earlier this week. The accused, identified as Ipil Murmu, was a resident of Jharkhand and had been staying secretly in Assam for the past few months, police said.
According to police sources, Murmu was the mastermind behind the IED explosion that took place on the railway track between Kokrajhar and Salakati stations in the early hours of October 23. The blast had damaged a portion of the track and briefly disrupted train services along the Alipurduar division of the Northeast Frontier Railway.
Security officials said Murmu had been leading a small group of Maoist extremists who were trying to expand their base in lower Assam. Based on specific intelligence, a joint team of the Assam Police, security forces, and intelligence agencies carried out an operation in the Salakati area on Friday night. During the exchange of fire, Murmu was killed on the spot. His body was later recovered and sent for post-mortem. 
Police said Murmu had crossed into Assam from Jharkhand a few months ago to coordinate subversive and recruitment activities. He was known to have links with left-wing extremist groups that operate in parts of eastern India. Officials believe that he had come to Assam to revive the Maoist network and spread its influence in areas close to the Assam-Bengal border.
After the encounter, search operations were intensified in nearby villages and forested areas to trace Murmu’s associates. “We have information that a few of his team members are still hiding in the region. Operations are underway to locate and arrest them,” a senior police officer said.
The IED blast that triggered this chain of events occurred around 1 am on Thursday, when an explosion damaged a section of the railway line between Salakati and Kokrajhar. Train movement was halted for several hours as engineers and railway staff worked through the night to repair the damaged track and restore normal service. No casualties were reported in the explosion.
Teams from the Railway Protection Force (RPF), Government Railway Police (GRP), and local police reached the spot shortly after the blast. Bomb disposal squads examined the site, while forensic experts collected debris samples to identify the type of explosive used in the incident. Initial investigations suggested that the device was a low-intensity IED designed to cause disruption and fear rather than mass casualties.
