Thaindian News

Guwahati, Aug 5 (IANS) Tension again gripped the violence-affected Kokrajhar and Chirang districts in Assam on Sunday after the recovery of four bodies - two in each district where clashes between Bodos and Muslim settlers last month left 56 dead and displaced over four lakh people.

The development also led the district administration to impose indefinite curfew in Chirang district from Sunday afternoon.

Inspector General of Police, Bodoland Territorial Area District S.N. Singh said that while two bodies were recovered from Kokrajhar, another two bodies were recovered from Bijni area in Chirang.

“The situation is tense but under control now. However, we have decided to clamp indefinite curfew in Chirang district while the night curfew is in force in Kokrajhar and Dhubri district,” Singh told IANS.

“Two people were found missing from one of the relief camps in Chirang district since last evening. The bodies were recovered today morning,” he said.

Sources in the state home department said that additional reinforcements of police and para military forces have been rushed to the affected areas, where forces are already deployed since the violence started last month.

The violence that started in the districts from July 19 also spread to neighbouring Dhubri and Baksa districts.

Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi had earlier claimed that the situation had improved in the districts and that the over four lakh people, who were displaced during the violence, would be sent to their homes with proper security by Aug 15.

He also said security pickets would be set up in the affected areas. Police and security forces have identified 104 sensitive areas in the three districts and the government had assured to deploy police pickets in all the sensitive areas.

According to government reports, the clashes saw around 5,000 houses belonging to both the communities burnt down during the violence. The government then set up 278 relief camps to accommodate the displaced people.