The overall situation in strife-hit Kokrajhar district remained peaceful on Wednesday with the administration intensifying security and confidence-building measures, including deploying army personnel in vulnerable areas and holding peace meetings to maintain order.
The suspension of Internet mobile services in Kokrajhar and adjoining Chirang districts and prohibitory orders remained in force for the second day to ensure order after a road mishap-triggered mob attack in the Karigaon area of the district left a Bodo youth dead, triggering protests, arson and confrontation with the police.
Officials said the situation was rapidly returning to normal because of prompt confidence-building measures put in place.
“The army has been deployed. They conducted a flag march on Wednesday in vulnerable areas. Then there are state police, CRPF and RAF on the ground. There has been no untoward incident since Tuesday. What happened, happened in the first few hours. The situation is under control,” an official told The Telegraph.
Around 20 people have been arrested from both communities since the mob attack. A peace meeting was held by state minister Jayanta Malla Baruah, he said.
The unrest was triggered on Monday when a Scorpio vehicle with three occupants belonging to the Bodo community “hit two” persons belonging to the Adivasi community in Karigaon.
An official statement on Tuesday said the Bodo individuals were beaten up by neighbouring Adivasi villagers and the Scorpio was torched, leading to a flare-up involving both the communities blocking the national highway adjacent to Karigaon outpost, burning tyres and a few houses and setting fire to an office building and also attacking the Karigaon outpost.”
The injured Adivasis were in a group which wanted to halt the vehicle, suspecting it was being used for cattle theft. Adivasi people had been keeping vigil in the area to prevent cattle theft, sources said.
The unrest triggered by the mob attack saw around 1200 people from both communities shift to safer locations on Tuesday “out of fear” but there has been “no direct clash” between the two communities, an official told The Telegraph.
A peace meeting, attended by state minister Jayanta Malla Baruah and Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) chief Hagrama Mohilary, officials, representatives of leading organisations and community leaders, was held at the BTC secretariat on Wednesday afternoon. The meeting appealed for peace and calm.
The district administration is providing help to around 1200 affected individuals from both the Bodo and Adivasi communities from remote areas of Karigaon, who shifted to safer locations. Five temporary relief camps have been set up and the affected will be able to return home soon, Mohilary said.
State minister Baruah said he will be returning on Friday to meet the bereaved families and ensure adequate assistance to the affected. Representatives from all communities attended the peace meeting. Another peace meeting is to be held on Thursday.