This Article is From May 03, 2014

Assam Violence: Five Children Among Seven Bodies Found Overnight, Toll 31

Assam Violence: Five Children Among Seven Bodies Found Overnight, Toll 31
Kokrajhar: Seven bodies have been found in the Baksa district in Assam overnight, taking the number of people killed in the violence in the state to 31 in the last 36 hours. A curfew has been imposed, and shoot at sight orders have been given in the Kokrajhar, Chirang and Baksa districts in Assam, after killings by suspected Bodo rebels. The region was witness to widespread ethnic violence two years ago too.

Here are the latest developments:

  1. Seven bodies were found overnight in Shalbari in Baksa district. Five of them were children.

  2. The Army has been called in, and its teams staged flag marches in troubled areas. A curfew, which was imposed in the three districts, has been relaxed in Chirang and Kokrajhar.

  3. The Union home ministry has sent 10 companies of central para-military forces to Kokrajhar and Baksa. Six companies of central security forces have reached Kokrajhar. (Read: 11 Dead in Targeted Killings in 12 Hours in Kokrajhar)

  4. The police have arrested 12 people in Baksa and have picked up eight for questioning in Kokrajhar. Sources say those arrested were providing logistics to the extremists carrying out the attacks.

  5. At an emergency meeting chaired by Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi this afternoon, the Assam government has decided to seek a probe by the National Investigation Agency into the violence.

  6. "I take responsibility of the grim situation, but I cannot say that it was total failure of home department... I will not step down as Chief Minister, I am not a coward... I will not run away from battlefield, I will fight the terrorists," Mr Gogoi said, amid demands for his resignation from all opposition parties and a section of civil society in the state.

  7. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has condemned the "cowardly" terror attack and said the Centre will take all measures to maintain law and order and restore peace there. (Read PM's full statement)

  8. The killings took place in three separate attacks in the last 36 hours in the areas falling under the Bodoland Territorial Council.

  9. The rebels have been fighting for a separate homeland for the region's ethnic Bodo people and the latest round of violence comes just days after voting in the region for the national election on April 24.

  10. The region was subjected to large-riots between Bodos and Muslims in 2012. Over a 100 people were killed, and lakhs displaced.



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