Assam Government on Monday announced a judicial probe into the violence even as the Government had already moved a proposal to Centre seeking a probe into the incidents by the National Investigating Agency (NIA).
As the troubled Bodoland Territorial Areas Districts (BTAD) in Assam is coming to normalcy, demonstrations rocked various parts of the State in protest against the recent violence in the Bodo heartland that killed 31 people and left over 400 displaced.
Official sources in Assam capital Dispur said that a senior officer of NIA arrived in Assam on Monday in response to the State Government’s request to finalise the modalities of taking over the investigation of cases. Another DG level officer of NIA is likely to visit Assam capital on Tuesday, the officials said.
“The law and order situation continues to improve in the two trouble-torn districts of Baksa and Kokrajhar. No incident has been reported in the last 72 hours. Curfew was relaxed in all the three districts- Kokrajhar, Chirang and Baksa today,” said a statement issued by the State Government.
“Security Forces have been directed to launch an intensive drive for recovery of illegal weapons with the assistance of Army deployed in Baksa and Kokrajhar districts in particular and BTAD in general,” the statement said.
Fixed Police pickets have been set up in the affected areas of Baksa & Kokrajhar districts to instill a sense of security amongst the affected people and to deal with any further eventuality,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, a student organization—Muslim Students Union—held demonstration at several places in Dhubri and Nagaon districts of Assam today in protest against the recent violence and killing in BTAD, throwing the life out of gear in these places.
At Dabaka in Nagaon police had to resort to blank firing to disperse a crowd, who blocked the National Highway and tried to stop vehicular traffic. The protestors also downed the shutters of commercial establishments at Dhubri and its adjoining districts during the day. The protests on Monday also forced the State Government to deploy adequate forces in communally sensitive areas even outside BTAD so that there is no backlash of the violence.
“There were protests today across the State. We have been taking steps to deploy adequate forces particularly in communally sensitive districts so that there is no backlash of the violence in BTAD in other areas,” Assam Home Commissioner G.D. Tripathy said.