Curfew conditions have been relaxed in Golaghat
After two weeks of militant violence on the Assam - Nagaland border that left at least 15 people dead and thousands displaced, life in Golaghat, one of Assam's prominent industrial towns on the border, is returning to normalcy. Curfew conditions have been relaxed as well. Though there has been no fresh violence over the past few days, an anti-government sentiment still runs high.
Never before has the relatively sleepy town of Golaghat seen the kind of violence witnessed in the last couple of weeks. At least 4 people were killed in brutal clashes between protesters and police. Although curfew and army flag marches brought the situation under control, the protests have not stopped.
At the epicenter of the trouble, a guarantee of peace is what Golaghat wants. Even the deployment of extra security personnel has not been able to instill trust in the residents.
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi may have promised a CBI probe, but his first challenge perhaps will be the rehabilitation of 10,000 people at the Uriamghat relief camp. After a meeting with a joint delegation of organizations on Saturday, Mr Gogoi had promised that adequate rehabilitation measures like food and medicine would be provided to people.
At the relief camp, the promised measures are in urgent need. Women and children, among the worst sufferers, sleep on a school floor, cook under open air and face acute sanitation problems.
What remains to be seen is whether the tall promises made by the state government see the light of day. If it fizzles out, tension and unrest may find its way back into these border villages.