A special court of the National Investigation Agency in Guwahati on Saturday gave the death penalty to two militants of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland and sentenced two others to life in connection with the murders of members of the tribal community in 2014, reported The New Indian Express.

While Bishnu Narzary and Ajoy Basumatary were given the death sentence, Nitul Daimary and Sanju Bordoloi were sentenced to life in jail.

On December 23, 2014, at least 50 people in Assam died when armed members of the militant National Democratic Front of Bodoland went on a killing spree across Sonitpur and Kokrajhar districts. All victims were former tea garden workers from the tribal community.

Since 1998, the NDFB has been demanding a sovereign state carved out of Assam for Bodos, who comprise 10% of the population. The group has consistently targeted non-Bodos such as adivasis and Muslims.

After the massacre, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh passed the case to the National Investigation Agency, which filed a chargesheet in July 2015. The four were booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, the Arms Act, and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for one of the shooting incidents, in which six people died and several were injured in Santipur village, Sonitpur district, reported NorthEast Now.

On August 30, the special court had convicted the four men.