PM condemns Assam violence

Singh called the attacks 'cowardly'.

"The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, has condemned the violence in Assam in which many a precious lives have been lost and a large number of people injured. He has urged the people to remain calm and assured that the Central Government and the state government will take all measures to maintain law and order and restore normalcy. The Prime Minister spoke to the Chief Minister and Home Minister directing them to restore normalcy," the  Prime Minister's Office (PMO)  said in a statement.

"Expressing his shock and grief the Prime Minister said the attacks are cowardly attempts to spread fear and terror among our citizens. He said that his heart reaches out and grieves for all those who lost their near and dear ones and other affected people," read the statement.

"The government stands committed to fighting terror in all its forms. 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 Prime Minister added," it said.

The PM urged people to remain calm, ignore rumours and carry on their activities normally.
  
"The Central Government he said will assist the State Government in taking all measures to defeat the forces of terrorism," the statement said.

The death toll in the killings by suspected NDFB (S) militants in two districts of Assam rose to 32 on Saturday with recovery of five more bodies, said reports.

Earlier in the day, four bodies were recovered from Baksa district.

A curfew has been imposed, along with shoot-at-sight orders in Kokrajhar, Chirang and Baksa districts.

The death toll touched 23 with the recovery of 12 bodies on Friday, fuelling fresh ethnic tensions in the region that had witnessed massive killings and displacement two years ago, reports said.

The Army has been called in to control the situation after the killings unleashed by the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (Songbijit faction).

The bodies were recovered from Narayanguri and Nonkesh Hagribari village in Baska district adjoining the Manas National Park. 

Seven people were killed in the wee hours on Friday in Kokrajhar district of the state in indiscriminate firing by the militants while three others were killed in Baska on Thursday.

The region had witnessed widespread ethnic violence two years ago between the Muslims and Bodos.

While over 100 people died in the violence in 2012, countless people were rendered homeless.