Fresh Assam violence isolated events: Centre

Even as an indefinite curfew continued for the second day across Kokrajhar district in Assam, Union Home Secretary R K Singh described the incidents of violence as "isolated" and said that those behind it will not be spared.

Seeking to downplay fresh violence, the Centre asked the state government to arrest those involved in ethnic clashes between Bodos and immigrant Muslims and seize illegal weapons by deploying enough forces, including the Army, in the strife-torn areas.

State DGP J N Choudhury on Friday rushed to the district town, took stock of the situation, and asked the security forces to go all-out against trouble-makers. Miscreants used AK-series weapons in some of the six incidents that have occurred in the district in renewed violence. At least seven persons have been killed in these incidents. There was no fresh incident on Friday, he said.

Singh said that the incidents are not a "flare up" and were isolated incidents as two of the cases were related to harvesting and another to extortion. The Army carried out flag marches for the second day on Friday in the troubled district. State Home Secretary G D Tripathi said 40 persons have been arrested across the district in two days. "The curfew will continue for a few more days," he said. The Centre has asked the Assam government to be on high alert.

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