40 dead in Assam riots, more troops called in

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Guwahati, Jul 25, 2012: Desperate efforts are on to bring the situation in Assam under control. While around 1000 troops have been mobilised for peacekeeping in the state, the army has also been conducting flag marches in violence-hit areas.

Meanwhile, the government is making a bid to bring warring factions of the Bodos and minority groups to the talking table.

 

According to sources, two officials from the Union Home Ministry will be speaking to the two sides in Dhubri and Kokrajhar on Wednesday.

The violence has been continuing for the last four days claiming at least 40 lives. In fact, the violence has spread to the neighbouring districts of Kokhrajhar, all the way to the West Bengal border, with clashes being reported from Chirang, Bongaigaon and Dhubri.

There has been recovery of eight more bodies even as the Centre asked the Assam government to nab the "ring leaders" involved in unrest. Five more bodies were recovered from Bijni in Chirang district and three from worst-hit Kokrajhar where shoot-at-sight orders and indefinite curfew were in force, police said.

 

 

Two fresh incidents of arson have been reported from Chirang and Kokrajhar districts, but no casualty have been reported.

Defence spokesman Colonel S Phogat said the army units had identified a number of sensitive and hyper-sensitive areas in the four districts to enable them to better patrol them.

The violence has displaced around 80,000 people from their homes, some of them set on fire by warring rival communities. The only protection the people have is in the form of makeshift relief camps.

This comes even as Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Tuesday claimed that the violence would come down in a few days.

 

However, the promise sounds hollow despite additional forces, imposition of curfew and shoot-at-sight orders being in place.

The Centre has, meanwhile, claimed that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who represents Assam in the Rajya Sabha, is keeping a close eye on the developments.

Union Home Secretary R K Singh said, "Around 25 people have been arrested. The Prime Minister is in regular touch with Home Minister. I am informing the PMO on hourly basis and have told the Assam DGP to spare no one."

However, when asked as to why it was taking so long to bring the situation under control, Assam DGP Jayanta Choudhury said the delay was due to the difficult terrain.

He said, "The terrain is dispersed, the villages are dispersed and you have a mix of population. So to cover the whole area, you need not just one picket, two picket, you need many all over the place. We have now deployed the force and that is why in the past 24 hours, there have been a few minor incidents but no major incident."

On the issue of the tension in the area being a longstanding one, Choudhury said, "This has always been an explosive area. You have a mix of population. You have people who are unhappy with the system that there is. So not just today and not just tomorrow, but for years to come, you are going to have trouble in this area."

The Assam DGP further said that there is strong possibility of the members of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) being involved in the riots.

Courtesy: IBN Live