Udalguri/Kokrajhar, Oct. 6: Dispur today fortified land, air and water to douse the flames of ethnic unrest in two Bodo districts that has claimed 47 in the past four days and left more than 86,071 homeless.

Four helicopters carrying forces droned over Udalguri and Darrang, four companies of Sashastra Seema Bal and 10 companies of BSF marched into all BTAD, Sonitpur and Darrang districts and river patrol boats scanned the waters for trouble-makers from neighbouring Nagaon and Morigaon.

Twenty-eight people have died in Udalguri and 19 in Darrang ever since clashes broke out between local villagers and minorities last Friday.

“Eleven in each district have died in police firing, while 54,000 are taking shelter in relief camps in Udalguri and 32,071 in Darrang district. Two bodies each were recovered from both districts today. We are taking all possible measures to prevent the spread of the violence. One person was injured in police firing in Mazbat today,” director-general of police R.N. Mathur said.

A pregnant woman was killed and two others injured when unidentified gunmen fired at them at Mojabari under Sidli police station in Chirang district last night.

The motive behind the killing is not known. The villagers said the woman was at her father’s home and the villagers were to hold a meeting today on her divorce.

An all-party team, barring the Congress, led by Chandramohan Patowary, toured the affected areas and appealed for peace. AUDF president Badruddin Ajmal was allegedly heckled by inmates at Bhakatpara camp in Udalguri.

Though the National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB) denied its hand in fomenting trouble yesterday, the police reports said otherwise.

Baksa police today said they have been able to establish that two members of the NDFB, including an area commander of the outfit, were involved in killing a woman, Sarbanu Begum and a two-year-old child, Siraj Ali, in Anthaibari village of the district yesterday.

“B. Dahal is NDFB’s area commander in Goreswar while Jabrang Boro is a cadre. The two have been identified by a seven-year-old who was witness to the gruesome murder,” superintendent of police P.K. Dutta said.

“The duo have admitted that they are NDFB members but denied their role in the killing. They must be lying because the child who managed to escape the attack identified the duo as the attackers after four suspects were paraded before him for identification,” the officer said.

“We are not yet sure whether the outfit as a whole is involved in the clashes but it is certain that some of their members are,” he said.

NDFB general secretary Gobinda Basumatary, on the other hand, today asked chief minister Tarun Gogoi to visit Udalguri for the “real truth”, instead of blaming the outfit.

“Come to the ground and talk to the Bodos, Bengalis, Nepalese, Assamese and Adivasis who are languishing in relief camps to find out that the truth. It is not a clash between Bodos and non-Bodos as is alleged. It is the real sons of the land, who are suffering in their own homeland.”

The government had yesterday threatened to withdraw the truce if the outfit continued to break ground rules and fuel unrest in the Bodo belt.

“The continuation of the ceasefire is not at the mercy of Tarun Gogoi. It is with the Centre,” Basumatary said.

He even pointed out that the tension began on August 14 when the Muslim Students’ Union of Assam had called a 12-hour bandh.

“It is the indigenous people who have been displaced and the government of Assam is responsible for it,” he said.

The All Bodoland Minority Students Union blocked National Highway 31(C) at Kashikotra for two hours today demanding the arrest of AASU adviser Samujjal Bhattacharyya.

The minority students’ union said the violence was the result of AASU’s anti-Bangladeshi drive in the state.