Nitish demands Centre's statement on Bihari killings in Asom

Patna, Jan 9: Taking cognizance of the killing of Biharis in Asom, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today asked the Centre to make a statement on the issue and its action plan to control the situation.

After reviewing the situation in Asom with a team of ministers, which came back from the spot, Mr Kumar told newspersons that Union Home Minister Shivraj Patel should take the nation in confidence as ''it was a serious matter.'' He said the Union Minister should issue a statement over the killing of 61 Biharis in Asom and also take action.

Mr Kumar urged the Centre to deploy sufficient number of paramilitary forces and army to ensure safety of Biharis settled there and the seasonal migrants from the state.

He appealed to the people to maintain harmony and unity against the anti-national forces.

Mr Kumar said his government had taken several steps to ensure safety of the Biharis in Asom. To a query, he said instead of Railway Minister Lalu Prasad, the Union Home Minister should have visited Asom and alleged that Mr Prasad went there to take ''political mileage.'' Mr Kumar further stated that his government was taking all necessary steps to check migration from the state and the result would be visible after some time.

Meanwhile, Bihar Road Construction Minister Nand Kishore Yadav, who visited Asom with a team, said 61 people from Bihar were killed in five different districts of the state. About 15 people were seasonal migrants who had gone to work on brick kiln.

He said 11 people of Chapra were targetted in which seven were killed and four others injured.

The Bihar Government had made arrangements to send the relatives of the deceased to Asom to collect the bodies adding the Nitish government had announced Rs one lakh as compensation to the kin of people killed in the incident.

''The incident was engineered by the anti-national forces.

Deployment of paramilitary forces and army was inadequate and the Asom government was yet to provide proper security to the people of Bihar living there,'' Mr Yadav said.

UNI