India--The toll rose to 78 in attacks by NDFB(S) and retaliatory violence in lower Assam with Adivasis setting afire houses of Bodos as the backlash to the Tuesday massacre continued for the second day.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh accompanied by his deputy Kiren Rijiju visited Bishwanath Chariali in Sonitpur district to review the prevailing situation and also held talks with different political and social organisations.
Taking tough, Singh declared that strong action will be taken against NDFB(S).
“We will take strong measures to deal with the outfit and will control it effectively,” he told reporters at Biswanath Chariali in Sonitpur district during his visit to review the situation in the state, which has been rocked by the bloodbath by Bodo militants and retaliatory violence by Adivasis.
Asked about operations against the outfit, the Union minister said, “Operations will definitely be launched against the outfit but cannot say when”.
“The killings by NDFB(S) is not an ordinary act of violence by a militant outfit, but an act of crafted terror and we will deal with it accordingly,” Singh said.
“The Centre has adopted a zero-tolerance policy against all acts of terror and the similar policy will be adopted in this case too,” he said.
In worst affected Sonitpur district six more bodies were recovered this morning from Maitalu Basti under Zinzia police station bordering Arunachal Pradesh taking the toll in attacks by NDFB(S) to 43 in the district and overall toll to 71, a police spokesman said.
Three adivasis were killed in police firing during protests against the carnage yesterday.
In Kokrajhar, the other severely affected district, retaliatory violence by adivasis claimed the lives of four Bodos at Manikpur and Dimapur areas.
25 people were killed by militants in Kokrajhar and three in Chirang district.
Fresh incidents of violence have been reported this morning from Gossaigaon area in Kokrajhar where several houses of Bodos have been set ablaze by adivasis despite the indefinite curfew clamped in the entire district, he said.
Curfew has been also imposed in the affected areas of Sonitpur and Chirang districts along with parts of Dhubri and Baksa districts as precautionary measure, he added
The Indian Times
