PM calls up Gogoi as toll in Assam violence reaches 6

Zeenews Bureau

Guwahati: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called up Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi late on Thursday to discuss law and order after toll in the recent violence in the state reached six. One more person was killed in violence hit Bodoland Territorial Administered Districts (BTAD) as the death toll reached six since November 10. Gogoi gave the Prime Minister, who is a Rajya Saba MP from the state, a detailed account of the situation and steps taken to control the violence, official sources told a news agency. The Prime Minister told Gogoi that certain forces were acting in a planned manner to destabilise peace and security in the region. Singh said the government would take all measures to curb such activities and assured the state government help in restoring peace and normalcy. Indefinite curfew was clamped on Kokrajhar town after a person Nirisun Basumatary was shot dead at at Telipara in Kokrajhar district this morning and a trader, Abdul Kalam, injured in an attack by people armed with sharp weapons on a weekly market in Kokrajhar, official sources said. The Chief Minister at a specially convened law and order meeting here last night directed the DGP and senior police officials to deal with the latest spurt in violence in the BTAD region with an iron hand and if required to take the help of the army and para-military forces. Earlier, the four BTAD districts and Dhubri were affected by violence between Bodos and minorities which left 90 people dead and more than 4.80 lakh homeless in July-August. The Prime Minister also talked to Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde and asked him to extend all possible assistance to the Assam government in tackling the situation, an official statement said. Meanwhile, Gogoi held discussions with 4 Corps General Officer Commanding Lt Gen C A Krishnan about the steps required to restore law and order. The army officer informed Gogoi that he would visit BTAD tomorrow for first-hand assessment of the situation. With PTI inputs