Jaiswal rules out President's rule in Asom

Lucknow, Jan 10: Union minister of state for home Sriprakash Jaiswal today ruled out any possibility of imposing President's rule in Asom following strikes by ULFA on Hindi-speaking migrants.

Talking to reporters here after participating in a function of Shashtra Suraksha Bal (SSB) here, he said : ''Door-door tak aise sambhavana nahin hai,'' (There are not even slimmest chances of that).

He said 20 companies of Central Para Military Forces (CPMF) have been sent to Asom. ''If need be, we will send additional forces,'' he assured.

Patrolling has been intensified in areas dominated by labourers from Bihar in the troubled North-East state.

The union minister also ruled out a CBI probe in all the cases of missing children as demanded by UP chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav. ''But the Centre would investigate all such cases seriously.'' The Centre was seriously monitoring the problem of infiltration from across the international borders.

A report from Guwahati said Upper Asom, where an ULFA depredation claimed 66 lives recently, was slowly returning to normal as the security forces began taking control in the three disturbed districts.

Meanwhile, defence minister A K Antony and Army Chief Gen J J Singh arrived in Asom.

UNI