Friday, February 6, 2026
ADVT 
India

Assam Attacks: Bodo militants massacre 27 migrant Muslims over 24 hours

Darpan News Desk IANS, 03 May, 2014 11:09 AM
    The toll in the twin attacks in Assam rose to 27 Saturday. The state government decided to hand over the probe to the NIA while Prime Minister Manmohan Singh described it as a "cowardly attempt to spread fear and terror".
     
    As many as 22 people were arrested in connection with the violence as seven more bodies were recovered Saturday.
     
    Protesting against the attacks, a mob Saturday burnt down two camps of the state forest department in Baksa's Gobardhana area. 
     
    Manmohan Singh said the "attacks are cowardly attempts to spread fear and terror among our citizens". 
     
    "The government stands committed to fighting terror in all its forms," he said in a statement.
     
    He added that his heart reaches out and grieves for all those who lost their near and dear ones and other affected people.
     
    Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said in Guwahati: "Since there is involvement of the NDFB (National Democratic Front of Bodoland) anti-talk faction militants, we have decided to hand over the probe to the NIA (National Investigation Agency)."
     
    Violence erupted in the Bodoland Territorial Area Districts (BTAD) Thursday night when armed NDFB cadres opened indiscriminate fire in two villages. The second attack took place in Kokrajhar district Friday.
     
    The violence has also led people to abandon their homes and take shelter in relief camps set up by district administrations. 
     
    The prime minister said the "people of Assam have been braving terrorist attacks with courage and fortitude in the past. They have voted in large numbers in the polling for the general elections and I am confident they will continue to fight terror resolutely".
     
    The staggered elections in Assam for its 14 parliamentary constituencies took place April 7, 12 and 24.
     
    Home Commissioner G.D. Tripathy told IANS: "Today (Saturday) morning, seven bodies were recovered from Salbari area in Baksa district." 
     
    "Armed assailants belonging to the NDFB anti-talk faction attacked two villages in Salbari area near the Manas National Park. Seven bodies have been recovered Friday night, seven more were recovered today (Saturday) morning," he said. 
     
    The victims included women and children, the home commissioner added.
     
    "The situation appears normal as of now as there has not been any fresh incident of violence since yesterday (Friday) evening," said Tripathy. 
     
    Gogoi said the situation has slightly improved in Kokrajhar and Baksa district Saturday and there was no fresh incident of violence. 
     
    He said the state government has been doing its best to secure the lives of civilians in Kokrajhar and Baksa districts. Gogoi cancelled his scheduled visit to Germany following the violence. 
     
    There were conflicting views on what caused the violence.
     
    Police suspect the attacks were in retaliation to the ongoing anti-insurgency operation by the security forces in the BTAD region, where some NDFB militants have been killed recently.
     
    However, media reports Saturday said the violence could be linked to the voting pattern in the general elections.
     
    Assam's Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) A.P. Raut Saturday said curfew was relaxed for a few hours in Kokrajhar and Chirang districts. However, the indefinite curfew continued in worst-hit Baksa district.
     
    He said that 22 people have been arrested.
     
    "There has been adequate deployment (of security forces) and the army carried out a flag march for the second day today (Saturday) in affected areas...," Raut said.
     
    Three companies of central paramilitary forces have already been deployed in each of the violence-hit districts. "More forces are coming and they would be deployed soon," he said. 

    MORE India ARTICLES

    Will Nehru-Gandhi dynasty reboot or fade out?

    Will Nehru-Gandhi dynasty reboot or fade out?
    Narendra Modi is not far off the mark when he says that the May 16 results will be the Congress's worst. Drawing room and tea-stall chatter nowadays centres on whether the 128-year-old no longer a Grand Old Party will be able to reach the 100-seat mark in the 545-member Lok Sabha in which two MPs are nominated.

    Will Nehru-Gandhi dynasty reboot or fade out?

    Congress headed for historic defeat: Modi

    Congress headed for historic defeat: Modi
    The Congress is headed for a historical defeat in the Lok Sabha elections, BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi said Monday. Addressing a rally in Mumbai, the Bharatiya Janata Party leader said the Congress will not get seats in double digits in any state.

    Congress headed for historic defeat: Modi

    TIME 100 list of the most influential people: Modi gets more NO votes than Justin Bieber

    TIME 100 list of the most influential people: Modi gets more NO votes than Justin Bieber
    BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi had many more “NO” votes than Canadian pop singer Justin Bieber and polled far fewer popular votes than AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal in a TIME 100 list of the most influential people in the world live poll as of late Sunday.

    TIME 100 list of the most influential people: Modi gets more NO votes than Justin Bieber

    India's democracy reaches out to lone voter in Gir forest

    India's democracy reaches out to lone voter in Gir forest
    He remains one of India's most prized voters. Mahant Bharatdas Darshandas is the lone voter in the midst of Gujarat's Gir forest, home to the Asiatic lion, for whom an entire election team sets up a polling booth every election - and will do so again on April 30.

    India's democracy reaches out to lone voter in Gir forest

    Remove 'mother-son' regime, urges Modi

    Remove 'mother-son' regime, urges Modi
    BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi Sunday hit out at the Congress-led UPA, terming it a "maa betey ki sarkar" (a mother-son government) and urged people to vote them out.

    Remove 'mother-son' regime, urges Modi

    Modi is the flavour of Indian election coverage in US

    Modi is the flavour of Indian election coverage in US
    A CNN story on what it called "India's first social media election" also began with how during the Holi festival more than three million Twitter followers of Modi "received a personalised greeting from him."

    Modi is the flavour of Indian election coverage in US