Curfew, shoot-at-sight in Assam; clashes escalate
Over 40,000 people have fled their homes and taken shelter in nearby districts as communal clashes between two communities, which began Friday, continue to rock Bodo areas of western Assam.
The state claims it has rushed extra forces and sought the Army’s help, but the violence escalated further Monday and engulfed new areas in Dhubri, Barpeta and Chirang districts.
Indefinite curfew was imposed and shoot-at-sight orders issued in Kokrajhar district, IGP S.N. Singh said. This was soon after the Union home ministry warned that militants of the outlawed NDFB had got involved in the retaliatory violence. Security sources said intercepts showed there were attempts to provoke NDFB rebels into taking on minority protesters.
At least 21 people have been killed since Friday in attacks and counter-attacks. Over a dozen people are missing. There were several attacks on the police; with an angry mob attacking the Sarfanguri police station accusing the police of not defending villages belonging to a particular community.
Several trains were disrupted, including the Delhi-bound Rajdhani Express, which was stopped at Pratapkhat between Kokrajhar and Gossaigaon by people from nearby villages, who alleged their houses were damaged by miscreants after they moved to relief camps. The security forces, however, intervened to ensure the train was allowed to move.
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