This Article is From Jan 10, 2011

Fresh violence in North East; Central forces reach Assam, Meghalaya

Guwahati: There has been fresh violence at the Assam-Meghalaya border. The Army was rushed in early this morning after Garos set a village on fire. Last night also there were reports of violence in the border areas. Several villages were torched and trucks carrying supplies set on fire.

After 10 days of violent ethnic clashes, an officer from the home ministry will visit Assam today. Central troops have reached the Assam-Meghalaya border.

The number of deaths have risen to nine, several villages have been torched and trucks carrying supplies set on fire. Thousands have been displaced in ethnic clashes between Garos and Rabhas.     

At least nine people have been killed and over 30,000 displaced and over over 250 houses torched in the ethnic violence between Rabha and Garo tribes which began on January 1.

Meanwhile, the influential All Assam Students Union (AASU) has flayed the Assam Government for "failing to provide security to the people" in the ethnic violence hit Assam-Meghalaya border, while the Garo Students Union (GSU) in Meghalaya appealed to the people not to shelter militants who have "fuelled" the clash.

"It seems as if there is no administration in Goalpara. The government has failed to provide security to the people who have been bearing the brunt of the violence since the last ten days. We denounce the government," said AASU president Shankar Prasad Rai, who along with his colleagues visited Goalpara.

(With PTI inputs)
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