By India Tomorrow News,
New Delhi, 04 May 2014: Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde on Sunday made an appeal to maintain calm and peace in Assam. While condemning the Bodo attacks which left 32 people – mostly women and children – dead in Kokrajhar and Baksa districts of Assam, Shinde said these attacks were aimed to instigate a full-fledged communal riot.
“During the last few days, there have been wanton acts of depredation leading to the deaths of 32 persons, mainly women and children. Out of these 32 persons, 31 belonged to minority community. These innocent lives were lost at the hands of cadres of certain group. The objective of this group seems to be aimed at starting a full-fledged communal conflagration,” Shinde said in a statement a short while ago.
He claimed Bodos are doing it in desperation. “It is noteworthy that these acts started only after the group started steadily losing its cadres either by surrender or eliminated during operations when they opened fire on Forces,” he said.
He informed that the Home Ministry has already deployed 43 companies of Central Armed Police Forces and ten more companies are being sent. Ministry of Defence has also deployed 15 columns of Army comprising of approximately 1,500 soldiers.
He appealed for calm.
“My appeal to all is to maintain calm and peace as the forces on the ground will definitely control the situation. The public leaders of both Bodo and Minority community must see to it that things do not deteriorate,” Shinde appealed.
