Guwahati:
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has ordered his administration to crackdown on trouble makers after five people were killed in fresh violence in lower Assam in the weekend. He has also sent out a team of ministers to ensure peace in the troubled districts that have seen ethnic clashes over the last one month. Over 80 people have died and about 4 lakh were displaced, many of whom are still homeless.
Here are 10 developments in this story:
Normal life was paralysed in Assam by a 12-hour bandh called by the Bajrang Dal to protest the violence in the lower Assam districts. Supporters burnt tyres and pelted stones at vehicles in different parts of the state following which the police took nearly 500 of them into preventive custody say sources. Schools, colleges and educational institutions, commercial and business establishments, financial institutions remained closed with attendance in government offices thin. Rail and air services, however, remained unaffected.
The latest violence was reported in Chirang - five people were killed when they reportedly stepped out of a relief camp to buy grocery. 23 companies of paramilitary forces and the police along with three columns of the Army have been stationed in Chirang.
Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said on Sunday, "The administration will fire at anyone who resorts to arson and violence."
The Chief Minsiter has sent six ministers to tour lower Assam and ensure that the situation is under control.
2.39 lakh people are still displaced. In Chirang, the epicentre of the latest violence, 40,000 people are living in 22 relief camps.
The arrest last week of MLA Pradeep Brahma, who represents the Kokrajhar (West) constituency, led to a wave of protests by the Bodoland People's Front (BPF). The BPF has called for an indefinite bandh in Kokrajhar district of Assam to protest against his arrest for his alleged role in the recent ethnic clashes in the state.
Thousands of North-Easterners living in Bangalore left the city after hate messages and morphed images were circulated through mobile phones and social networking sites. The Karnataka government has been making reassurances to bring them back, claiming the city is 'safe'.
The riots in Assam spilled over to Mumbai, where a protest at the Azad Maidan spun out of control on August 11. Two people and 55 others, including 54 policemen were injured in the riot. Several women cops were allegedly molested. Arup Patnaik, who was the Mumbai Police Commissioner, was transferred last week due to his reported mishandling of the riot.
Over 90 people have died in over a month in ethnic violence in parts of lower Assam between the indigenous Bodo tribals and Muslim settlers.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, former Home Minister P Chidambaram, Congress President Sonia Gandhi and current Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde have visited the violence-hit areas of lower Assam.
(With Agency inputs)
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