JOIN US4 killed in Assam firing; toll rises to 32
The toll in continuing violence in western Assam touched 32 on Tuesday with four persons being killed in police firing in Kokrajhar district, where shoot-at-sight orders and indefinite curfew are in force.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who has been facing Opposition flak for failing to contain the communal violence being a Rajya Sabha MP from Assam, called up state Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi to take stock of the situation. The BJP, which has sent a delegation led by Vijay Goel for a spot survey of the dangerous divide, charged the Prime Minister with mishandling of the violence.
“The violence in Assam is communal and related to illegal migrants. The prime minister being an MP from Assam should immediately issue a statement. No minister has visited the affected areas. The ministers are biased in favour of a particular community. CM Gogoi is trying hard not to term the violence communal but we know it is as our team is visiting the state today,” BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman told mediapersons in Delhi.
The Union Home ministry on Tuesday rushed 1,500 more paramilitary personnel and asked a senior bureaucrat to leave for Guwahati for better coordination. “We have sent 29 companies (each comprising 1000 personnel) so far - 14 yesterday and 15 more today,” Union Home Secretary R K Singh told reporters at North Block in Delhi.
He said “That apart, army units have also been deployed. A joint secretary (of the Home Ministry) is going there. I have been in touch with the DGP and Chief Secretary from day one. I have spoken to the leaders of the Bodos and Muslims and told the state government they will get any help needed.”
Bodoland Territorial Areas District (BTAD) IGP S N Singh said, “Four persons were killed in police firing when they were indulging in violence in Rampur and Chaparkata areas of Kokrajhar.”
The home ministry officials said that they were informed by the Assam government that the violence had spread to 400 villages spread across 8,000 sq km of BTAD.
A PTI report claimed that around 70 houses in four villages at Bijni in Chirang district were torched forcing over 50,000 people to take shelter in relief camps. Clarifying, CM Gogoi said 4,000 people have fled their homes owing to the fast changing “volatile and tense” situation prevailing in the area, which has a history of communal flare-ups due to changing demography since Bangladeshis’ illegal migration.
Acknowledging that he received telephone calls from PM, Union Home Minister P Chidambaram and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Gogoi said: “People in remote areas have abandoned their houses out of panic and the figure may be even more by now, but strict instruction have been issued to provide them security.”
Sporadic incidents of violence and arson were reported from Kokrajhar, Chirang and Dhubri districts, while the situation was tense in neighbouring districts, which fall under the BTAD.
Miscreants pelted stones and attacked the Guwahati-bound Rajdhani Express at Gossaigaon damaging four coaches, but there were no casualties. The train was reversed and halted at Kamakhyaguri station bordering West Bengal with the authorities considering taking it to Coochbehar. Altogether 31 trains were halted with the situation likely to worsen with the arrival of more trains.
Train passengers stranded
With the violence leaving around 25,000 train commuters stranded, the Central and Assam governments were urged to provide security so that train services can resume, report agencies. A total of 37 trains have been halted at various places due to clashes between Bodo tribals and Muslims.
Officials said efforts were on to arrange food and water for the stranded passengers. Railway Minister Mukul Roy made the request for additional security to Home Minister P Chidambaram and Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi.