Asom violence; death toll reaches 6

Guwahati, May 14: The death toll in yesterday's group clashes in Tinsukia district has gone up to six, while the authorities extended curfew to new areas as violence continued throughout the night.

''Five people were killed in group clashes and another in an accident while 11 others were seriously injured,'' Deputy Commissioner A K Afsar Hazarika said.

What began from a road blockade had now turned into a full-fledged battle between tea garden labourers and the rest with authorities contemplating issuing shoot-at-sight order if the situation did not improve by evening.

Last night, two youths were dragged out and burnt alive near Doomdooma even as curfew was extended to Pengeri police station.

Kakopathar, Dhola and Doomdoma police station of the district were already curfew-bound. Most of these area are ULFA-dominated.

The army has been carrying out flag march but both groups were ready for pitched battle. The fight was between the tea garden labourers and other Assamese people living in the area with the youths targeting one another using stones, sharp weapons and even bows and arrows, the traditional weapon of Adivasi labourers.

Trouble began when the tea garden labourers, unable to procure their weekly ration because of the National Highway blockade, attacked the protestors.

According to official sources the ULFA-backed protestors, who had been blocking the National Highway for the past seven days following the death of a farmer, were pelted with stones by angry tea garden labourers who were not being able to procure foodstuff following the blockade.

Upper Asom Commissioner Hemanta Narzary, confirming the deaths, said the situation had been brought under control. But eyewitnesses reported that both sides were preparing for more confrontation and trying to avenge the killings.

The district authorities had not released the names of the deceased fearing escalation of violence. The road blockade on the National Highway had created food shortage in two major districts of Arunachal Pradesh as well as Sadiya areas of Asom.

The blockade began with the killing of one Buddheswar Moran by the Army on May 5. He was first declared an ULFA leader but later the Army was forced to retract and apologise while admitting that it was a 'mistake killing'. This led to an indefinite blockade of the National Highway.

The state government ordered two inquiries and released compensation, but the ULFA-backed protestors continued to block the National Highway demanding a visit by Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi.

The seven-day blockade had stopped all traffic beyond Doomdooma town cutting the supply chain to the nearby tea garden.

''We tried to persuade them and did not want to go for confrontation,'' said Asom government spokesman Dr Himanta Biswa Sharma admitting that he was constantly in touch with the agitators trying to find an amicable solution as the chief minister was not in a position to visit them at this moment.

UNI