One soldier killed, 3 injured in explosion in NE India

At least one Indian soldier has been killed and three others injured in an explosion in the northeastern state of Assam Saturday morning, a senior police official said.

"The incident took place in Digboi in the state's Tinsukia district when an Indian Army convoy was passing through the area where an encounter was underway between security forces and suspected United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) militants," he said on condition of anonymity.

The improvised explosive device blast hit a vehicle in the Indian Army convoy, injuring four soldiers, one of whom succumbed to his injuries in the hospital where three others have been admitted, the official said.

Reinforcements have been rushed to the spot to neutralize the militants, he said, adding that a massive search operation has been launched.

ULFA, which seeks to establish a sovereign Assam with an armed struggle, was banned by India in 1990 and branded as a terrorist organization. In 2011, a pact for suspension of operations against ULFA was signed between the Indian government, the Assam government and the ULFA. Endit