From Our Correspondent
Guwahati: Spells of communal as well as ethnic violence that have become bane of life in Bodoland Territorial Autonomous District Council (BTC) areas of Assam, have claimed 731 lives in since 1993 in the area, according to information tabled by Assam government in the State Assembly.
All these clashes occurred between Bodo tribe people and either Adivasi community or the religious minority (Muslim) community. These clashes over the years have devastated the social fabric in the area where mistrust among various communities have become order of the day.
As per the figures provided by the government 558 persons were killed due to ethnic and communal violence in the BTC area during the period from 1993 to 2003. While 173 persons were killed in such clashes occurring in the BTC areas during the period from 2003 to December 5, 2012.
Assam government informed that so far 5,776 cases were registered in connection with the ethnic violence that erupted in July this year in the BTC area and out of these 15 cases were handed over to the CBI. So far, 532 persons were arrested in connection with this particular spell of communal violence. a total of 109 people were killed in the latest spell of ethnic violence in the BTC in July this year out of which nine were yet to be identified. The State government has paid ex-gratia compensation of Rs three lakh against each of 81 deceased so far while payment of compensation against rest 16 identified deceased was under consideration of the government.
In the on-going efforts to seize illegal arms and ammunition available with various miscreants in the communally sensitive BTC area, security forces have so far succeeded in seizure of 74 arms from the area mostly from Bodo tribe militant elements till December 5 last. The seizure included 35 pistols, 5 AK 47 assault rifles, 14 country-made rifles, 20 guns. The ammunition recovered included 20 magazines, 363 rounds of assorted ammunition, 37 grenades, three bombs, two IEDs, 1200 gms of explosives, 3.5 Kg of RDX explosives, 42 detonators. Total 30,430 riot-hit persons were still lodged in 55 refugee camps in the BTC area till December 7 last . The government has so far released over Rupees 86 crore 51 lakh for payment of ex-gratia compensation, relief and rehabilitation measures in the violence-hit BTC areas.
The government has deployed 68 additional companies of paramilitary force personnel in the violence-hit areas of the BTC while 127 additional and permanent police stations have been set up in vulnerable area in the BTC.