datasets.iitb.crawledDocs.yn_08Oct08_file_124 Maven / Gradle / Ivy
Online edition of India's National Newspaper Wednesday, Oct 08, 2008 | Front Page News: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Advts: | | | | Exodus continues in Assam Special Correspondent — PHOTO: RITU RAJ KONWAR BLEAK FUTURE: A baby sleeps as its mother waits near a relief camp in Udalguri district of Assam on Tuesday. Shoot-at-sight orders have been issued and curfew has been imposed in the riot-affected areas. More than 1.5 lakh people have moved out of their villages and into relief camps after the riots started on Friday last. Guwahati: Thirteen more deaths were recorded in the violence-hit northern Assam districts of Udalguri and Darrang on Tuesday, taking the death toll in the clashes between the Bodos and immigrant Muslim settlers in the State to 53. So far, 30 people have been killed in Udalguri district and 21 in Darrang district. This includes 25 killed in police firing — 14 in Darrang and 11 in Udaluguri. There was, however, no report of any fresh incident during the day. Police recovered seven bodies while six persons succumbed to their injuries at hospitals. Despite the Army staging flag march and an additional ten companies of Border Security Force (BSF) being deployed in the riot-hit areas, exodus of panic stricken people continued, forcing the administration to open more relief camps. Principal Secretary, Home, Subhash Das told The Hindu that 1,55,000 people have taken shelter in 82 relief camps till Tuesday afternoon. Some 90,000 people have taken shelter in 46 relief camps in Udalguri district and 65,000 people in 36 relief camps in Darrang district. All-party delegation Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi requested Assam Assembly Speaker Tanka Bahadur Rai to depute an all-party delegation to the affected areas to instil confidence among the people. Ministers and MLAs were camping there and the State government was providing food and relief materials to those in the relief camps. Additional officers too had been posted to look after relief operations, Mr Gogoi stated in a statement. “I have been in constant touch with the respective district administrations and security forces and have asked them not to be complacent and lenient and to deal with an iron hand against those forces trying to engineer rift among the communities and against those spreading rumours to fuel violence. I have also asked them to take preventive measures.” the statement said. Mr. Gogoi appealed to the people to maintain peace. In Baksa district, police arrested two cadres of the militant National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB) on charges of killing an immigrant Muslim woman after they were reportedly identified by her ten-year-old brother-in-law. Police alleged that the woman was killed on Saturday night with the motive of sparking communal disturbance in the district. Unidentified gunmen shot dead a pregnant woman in Chirang district under Bodoland Territorial Council on Sunday. Printer friendly Send this article to Friends by News: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Advts: | | | | Updates: | Stories in this Section Archives Features: The Hindu Group: | | | | | Group Sites: | | | | | | | | | | | Copyright ý 2008, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu