Assam CM reviews relief, rehabilitation ,security arrangements

During a high-level meeting held in Guwahati, the Assam Chief Minister has instructed senior officials of civil and police, including Chief Secretary, DGP, Principal Secretary, Home and officers from other departments, to review both the situation for relief , rehabilitation and security arrangements and towards improving the situation and take effective steps for maintaining law and order and providing relief materials to the affected people.

“The overall situation in the violent-hit affected areas of Sonitpur and BTAD has remained peaceful with no fresh incidents of violence reported from any part of the State during the last 48 hours which has remained incident free. Curfew has been relaxed in all the districts following gradual improvement in the overall situation. Camp inmates have been found to be ready to go back in a number of places,” a top official of Assam government said.

Assam DGP Khagen Sarma said that  50 additional companies of the Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) have already been deployed in the affected districts.

“These companies are being deployed in the vulnerable pockets to instill confidence amongst people and encourage them to come back to their homes,” the Assam DGP said.

The state government has already released an amount of Rs. 3.04 crores to the Deputy Commissioners of the concerned districts for the construction of temporary barracks to accommodate the additional companies.

“There have been report rumour mongering reported particularly in Kokrajhar and Chirang districts. The State Government has appealed to all sections of the people not to give credence to rumours and also not spread rumours, and remain calm and maintain peace and harmony,” the government official said.

Four senior officers deployed in the field will continue to remain deployed till a major reduction in the camp inmates is attained.

The state government said that a total of 441 (male 240, female 201) tribal people have taken shelters in relief camps under Kumargram Polie Station of Alipurduar district in West Bengal and 800 Bodo community people at Namaro in East Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh. 

The total death toll in the violence currently stands at 78.

A total of around 370 houses have been burnt by miscreants following the incidents of violence.

The police have registered 14 cases of which 4 cases have been handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) through the Government of India.

On the other hand, the state government said that a total of 1,76,440 inmates took makeshifts shelter in 136 relief camps.

“Out of these camps, 64 have mainly Bodo inmates and 72 have Adivasi inmates. Number of inmates belonging to Bodo and Adivasi Communities is 61,003 and 1,15,337 respectively,” the state government official said.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)