Journalism of Courage
Samudra Gupta Kashyap
A day after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh expressed concern over extortions,abductions and ethnic and communal tensions in Assam,Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Sunday night asked the state police to go all out against such forces,and asked them to draw up an action plan to combat the rising menace.
Gogoi,who returned from his four-day trip of Singapore on Sunday,held a high-level review of the overall situation in the state,and particularly took stock of increasing extortions and abductions,asking the security forces to take stern action.
Meanwhile,indefinite curfew was imposed in Bijni area in Chirang district in lower Assam from 6 pm on Sunday following clashes and ethnic tension in the wake of death of a tribal youth late Saturday night after some people chased and beat him on suspicion that he was a militant.
There have been back-to-back kidnappings in Chirang leading to public resentment. People were alert in the night and one motor-cyclist who did not stop on their request was chased and beaten to death on suspicion that he was a militant. The boys death has caused some ethnic tension in the area, state Home Secretary GD Tripathi said. Some people tried to attack a police patrol post at Ballamguri near Bijni prompting the police to resort to lathicharge.
Kidnappings mainly intended at extortion have been on the rise,with different armed groups abducting at least 10 persons in the past three days. While a trader was kidnapped in Chirang district and a BDO in Dhubri district on Thursday,a group of armed militants whisked away eight persons from Bhalukjuri in Karbi Anglong district adjoining Kaziranga National Park on Sunday. Home Secretary Tripathi said all the eight persons were rescued after police launched an operation.
The ULFAs anti-talk faction has served extortion notices on a number of tea estates in upper Assam districts,while similar notes were also being issued by at least two different outfits in Dima Hasao and Karbi Anglong,the two hill districts of Assam.
