Home Minister Rajnath Singh to visit locations
By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
Guwahati: The situation in Assam remained tense on Wednesday with the recovery of more bodies of Assam villagers, who were massacred by the Bodo militants opened indiscriminate fire targeting adivasi people.
The death toll in the brutal incident has increased to 76 after three bodies were recovered in Kokrajhar district, police said.
(Photo courtesy: ZeeNews)
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and his junior minister Kiren Rijiju rushed to the state to take stock of the situation. They held a meeting with Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi.
Militants belonging to the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB Songbijit faction) launched almost simultaneous attacks in five places of two districts. While in retaliation the Adivasi miscreants killed three Bodo people in Sonitpur district in the evening. Except Sonitpur, the other districts – Baksa, Kokrajhar, Chirang and Udalguri fall in Bodoland Territorial Areas District (BTAD).
Singh and Rijiju are likely to visit the locations on Thursday. The incident might be investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), as learnt followed by a crucial meeting involving the union ministers and Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi.
Earlier on Wednesday, three Adivasis in Dhekiajuli of Sonitpur district were killed in police firing when they along with hundreds of others were protesting the attack by Bodo militants.
Meanwhile, 50 companies (5000 personnel) of paramilitary forces have been rushed to Assam to assist the state government to deal with the situation arising out of the violence in Sonitpur and Kokrajhar districts.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi too expressed grief over the loss of lives in Assam militant attacks and sanctioned ex-gratia relief of Rs 2 lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to each of the seriously injured.
An amount of Rs 86 lakh is being released to the state government from Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF), a PMO statement said.
But, the victims are inconsolable as they have lost their near and dear ones forever.
“This has been a long time problem for us in the BTAD. Time and again we have been facing this problem of violence for a long time. The militants have spared no one. They have even killed children and women. They are not human,” said Ramlal Gunju, a victim.
On Wednesday, the MPs of All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) too wrote to Rajnath Singh for taking strict action to bring an end to the violence in the BTAD area.
“We would like to state the fact that one of the main reasons is that there are large number of illegal arms with the Bodo extremists, who use them to kill poor people. Despite of our constant demand, the state government has failed to seize those illegal arms to ensure the peace and harmony in the area. Therefore, while strongly condemning this act of cowardice, we request you to direct the Assam government to seize the arms from BTAD area immediately,” the letter read.
Besides, they have also sought stringent action against the culprits and security to non-Bodos in affected areas. It has also demanded adequate compensation to all affected for loss of lives and injuries in the same way as the victim of Sikh riots were given.
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NDFB militants trigger massacre in Assam