Guwahati, Dec 11 (IANS) At least six people were killed and three injured in a group clash over road construction work in Assam, officials said Friday.
A police spokesperson said hundreds of people clashed late Thursday in Singimari village in Nagaon district, about 150 km east of Assam’s main city of Guwahati.

“Two groups attacked each other with crude implements like machetes and spears and soon the clash turned bloody resulting in the death of six people and wounding three more,” a senior police official said.

The immediate provocation for the attack was due to differences over road construction work with locals in the area complaining that the contractor did a sloppy job and siphoned off government funds.

“Some locals came to lodge a complaint with the police Thursday evening alleging that the contractor was threatening them with dire consequences for raising their voice against the poor road construction work,” the official said.

The group of about 15 local people were returning from the police station after lodging a complaint and were accosted by an armed group believed to be supporters of the contractor.

“The locals were taken by surprise with the armed gang going berserk hitting them with sharp weapons,” the official said.

The contractor, a surrendered militant of the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom, is absconding. A hunt is on to nab the gang and him.

The road construction work was done under a central government scheme.