By Mubasshir Mushtaq
NEW DELHI
At least 40 people were killed on Tuesday evening in five separate attacks by suspected Bodo militants in the northeastern state of Assam, police officials said.
Assam state police officials said five people were gunned down in Kokrajhar district and 35 were killed in different places of Sonitpur district in Assam.
The attack was allegedly conducted by a breakaway group of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland, a separatist group seeking autonomy for Bodo-speaking people.
Pallab Bhattacharya, Additional Director General of Assam, said militants opposed to peace talks killed 40 people in five different places, Times of India reported.
Bhattacharya said the death toll is expected to rise.
“I strongly condemn the killing of tribals in Assam by NDFB militants. Killing innocent people for any cause can never be justified,” Rajnath Singh, federal home minister wrote on Twitter.
“The Centre is monitoring the situation in Assam and the paramilitary forces have been rushed to the spot,” Singh added.
Some media reports said that the dead included 10 women and 13 children, though there was no official confirmation at the time.
Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi condemned the attacks saying his government will not bow down to the militants.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the attacks via his Twitter account.
"Killing of innocent people in Sonitpur and Kokrajhar is an act of cowardice. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the deceased," Modi tweeted.
Modi spoke to Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi assuring him the help of the federal government.
Modi said federal home minister Rajnath Singh will travel to Assam to "take stock of the situation."
Tuesday’s militant attack, one of the deadliest of 2014, is seen as a response to the recent growing tension between the police and the militants.
Assam state police officials killed two Bodo militants on Sunday in Chirang district, located close to the border with Bhutan.
Militants triggered a grenade blast on Monday in Kokrajhar district injuring three people.
The attack drew sharp reactions on social media as people vented their anger on Twitter, accusing Indian news channels of “insensitivity.”
The attack came on Tuesday evening when most media channels were busy analyzing state election results of Jharkhand and Indian-held Jammu & Kashmir.
Throughout the years, India’s northeast has witnessed a number of campaigns for separate statehood based on ethnicity.
www.aa.com.tr/en
