PM likely to visit violence-hit Assam districts

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is likely to visit Assam's restive Kokrajhar and Chirang districts Saturday, where communal violence has claimed 40 lives and affected more than 170,000 people, officials said Thursday.

When asked about prime minister's visit, officials in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said: "Yes. It is still being planned."

According to an Assam government statement, 40 people have died in Kokrajhar and Chirang. The statement disclosed that the violence had affected about 170,000 people in the two districts.

According to official sources, the violence started July 19 after gunmen attacked two student leaders in Magurbari. Following this, four former Bodo militants were shot dead.

Both the communities then began attacking each other, accusing each other of orchestrating ethnic cleansing.