Protests against attacks on villagers by Bodo rebels in Sonitpur district of Assam (Agence France-Presse photo)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today expressed grief over 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. (Read more:
How 70 People Were Killed in Assam in Less Than 24 Hours)
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.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed his grief over the loss of lives in the militant attacks on tribals in Kokrajhar and Sonitpur districts of Assam," it said.
He has sanctioned ex-gratia of Rs two lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to seriously injured persons from PMNRF, the statement said.
Mr Modi had, last night, termed the massacre of tribals by militants in Assam's Sonitpur and Kokrajhar districts as "an act of cowardice" and said that "our thoughts and prayers are with the families" of the victims.