Centre rushes 5,000 paramilitary personnel to Assam

NEW DELHI: The Centre is rushing an additional 5,000 paramilitary troops to Assam, where a series of attacks by suspected Bodo militants of NDFB-S faction have left over 50 people dead.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who will be travelling to Assam today, said he has been briefed on the situation by Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and the Centre would take whatever action is necessary.

"This is a blatant attack in a situation where it is not expected. The attack is on innocent people and the location of the attack in very remote and rural area," Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said.

The Minister said that the Assam government has requested the Centre to provide 50 companies of central forces which are being "mobilised" and will be "immediately done".

One company of these forces has about 100 personnel. Rijiju said that he along with Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh will travel to the state in the afternoon after meeting top officials of paramilitary forces and the security establishment here.

"I would like to say that this is very unfortunate that this kind of violence has taken place. We have already sent a message that violence and development cannot go together.

"If we want to develop North-East, peace must prevail. Peace and development are inseparable elements," he said.

Rijiju said security forces are already doing their job in the troubled areas.

36 people were killed in Sonitpur district and 17 in Kokrajhar when heavily armed militants belonging to Songbijit faction of National Democratic Front of Bodoland ( NDFB) attacked the 'adivasis' yesterday, according to police.
"This is doing a lot of harm to the community they claim to represent. This is no fight for a cause," Rijiju said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had condemned the killing of innocent people as an act of cowardice and also spoke to Gogoi. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the deceased," he tweeted last night.

The Cabinet today paid homage to victims of the "cowardly" attacks on 'adivasis' in Assam.