Nitish seeks PM's intervention in Asom violence

Patna, Jan 12 (UNI) Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has sought the intervention of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in providing adequate relief and security to Hindi speaking people in Asom in the aftermath of ULFA's carnage.

In a letter to Dr Singh, Mr Kumar said despite measures taken by the Asom government, Hindi speaking people were still living in fear and concrete steps should be taken by the Centre to tackle the situation.

Altogether 66 people, including 49 Biharis, were killed by the ULFA in a string of strikes in Asom.

Mr Kumar said the state government had announced a compensation of Rs one lakh to the dependents of each victim from Bihar adding, ''some compensation has also been given by the Asom government but that is still inadequate.'' The Centre should immediately announce a compensation package for the victims' families, he added.

He also drew the Prime Minister's attention to the measures taken by the state government to contain any chances of retaliatory action in Bihar. ''If the situation in Asom is not tackled effectively, it will be difficult to check eruption of any retaliatory incident in Bihar,'' he feared. He, however, noted that protests by various political parties and organisations remained 'peaceful' due to preventive measures taken by the state government.

All trains leading to Asom and originating from there, had been provided with reinforcements in Bihar to ensure safety and security of passengers, he added.

UNI