Guwahati: A day after the killing of five people by unidentified gunmen, the Kherabari area in upper Assam’s Tinsukia district remained tense. The security forces have launched a massive hunt along the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border to nab the killers.

A high-level security meeting was held at Sadiya in the presence of Assam DGP Kuladhar Saikia and senior officials of the Assam Police and other security agencies.

A top official of the Assam Police said that combing operations have been launched in the Dhola-Sadiya area, where the five victims who belonged to Assam's Bengali community were killed, and the region bordering Arunachal Pradesh.

“Assam Police is also in touch with Arunachal Pradesh,” the official said.

Meanwhile, Assam ministers Keshab Mahanta, Parimal Suklyabaidya and Tapan Kumar Gogoi had rushed to the area and met the family members of the victims.

Banned outfit ULFA (I) on Friday denied their involvement into the incident.

The ULFA (I), in a press release signed by its member of publicity department Romel Asom, said, “We, the United Liberation Front of Asom (Independent) would like to make it clear to all concerned authorities that our organisation does not have any involvement in the firing incident that occurred on 1 November, 2018 at Sadiya Saikhowaghat in Tinsukia district.”

Meanwhile, Assam BJP president Ranjit Kumar Dass said on Friday that the Congress’s provocative statement over the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and Citizenship Amendment Bill had triggered Thursday's incident.

“Miscreants had attacked innocent people after provocative remarks over the NRC and Citizenship Bill made by some individuals and some organisations,” the Assam BJP president said.

Dass further said that the Assam BJP has demanded the arrest of those who made the provocative statements.

“We also demanded a high-level inquiry to find out the actual facts behind the incident. We appealed to the state government to take stern action against the attackers and other people who are behind the incident,” Dass said.

On the other hand, the Assam Pradesh Congress on Friday staged a massive protest in Guwahati over the Tinsukia killing.

The Congress workers shouted against the BJP-led Assam government for the failure to maintain law and order in the state and demanded appropriate measures to ensure an end to the killing of innocent people. The Assam Congress also demanded a CBI inquiry into the incident.

Former Assam chief minister and senior Congress leader Tarun Gogoi slammed the BJP-led Assam government and said that it has totally failed to protect the common people of the state.