Members of a militant group�have opened fire on people at a crowded market in India�s northeast, killing 12 people and leaving 15 others wounded.

The assailants carried out the attack at a weekly market in Kokrajhar, which is located some 220 kilometers west of Assam State�s capital, Guwahati, on Friday, police said.

Local media quoted Assam�s police chief Mukesh Sahay as saying that three or more militants were involved in the attack. He said one of them was killed by security forces, who he said were in pursuit of the other gunmen in the area.

A witness said he saw a gunman who was �dressed in [a] black raincoat-like gown and another two were sitting in an auto rickshaw.� The witness said the man in black was firing at the crowd indiscriminately.

Reports said the militants also threw a grenade in the market.

Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju condemned the attack, describing it as �very dastardly and unfortunate.� He blamed the raid on the so-called National Democratic Front of Bodoland (Songbijit) militant group.

�Police have launched a hunt to trace insurgents hiding near the incident spot. It is a militant attack and we will be sending a team from Delhi to investigate further,� he added.

The attack came despite high security measures that have been adopted in Assam ahead of Independence Day celebrations to be held on August 15.

Assam, which is a remote and underdeveloped state in India, has for years been the scene of militancy along ethnic and tribal lines.

By Press TV