Adivasis keep vigil outside a church after attacks by Bodo militants in Sonitpur on Assam on Thursday (Press Trust of India photo)
The army will intensify its operations in Assam against Bodo militants accused of killing 83 people on Tuesday in one of the worst massacres in the northeastern state. Thousands of people have left their homes in fear after the killings. (
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Here are 10 developments in this story:
Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who called the killings an act of terror, met the Army Chief today and asked for an all-out operation against the militants.
Sources say the home minister told Army Chief Dalbir Singh Suhag that the Centre wants results in Assam and coordination between the army and the state police.
"We have 66 companies and will definitely intensify our operations," General Suhag said after the meeting.
On Tuesday evening, in five attacks within the space of an hour, Bodo militants dressed in military uniforms dragged out men, women and children from their homes and shot them. 41 were killed in Sonitpur and 42 in Kokrajhar.
The attacks have been blamed on a breakaway faction of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland, which has been fighting for a separate homeland for decades. The Bodos are an indigenous tribe in Assam, making up 10 percent of the state's 33 million people.
Over 10,000 people have taken shelter in relief camps since the killings. Villagers say their houses have been burnt down and there are no policemen around. Bodo militants allegedly burnt houses last night in Balidanga in Sonitpur.
Protests by tribals have affected train services in parts of Assam.
An indefinite curfew continues in Kokrajhar and its neighboring areas. Restrictions are also in place in the Sonitpur, Baksa and Chirang areas.
The National Investigation Agency will investigate the killings. Those who died were mostly tribals who worked in tea gardens in the region.
Retaliatory attacks have taken place in Bodo settlements, where three people died on Sunday.
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