In violence-scarred Gossaigaon,even a suicide can trigger panic

The agitating Bodo students were taken to railway officials who told them that Vinod had committed suicide. It took a long time to pacify them. The incident gives an impression about the situation prevailing here, a CRPF officer told The Indian Express on Wednesday.

At Gossaigaon police station,officers said not only senior officers,people from other places are calling us to know about the situation.

A CRPF officer said riots broke out in Gossaigaon after two Muslims were killed at Muslimpara on July 6. In retaliation,four Bodos were killed in Kokrajhar, he said.

Of Gossaigaons 4.5 lakh population,1.5 lakh are Muslims. About 45 per cent are from Bodo community while 14 per cent are tribals and 15 per cent are Muslim. The root cause of the riot is that Muslim population is increasing because of unchecked infiltration through porous Assam-Bangladesh border, another officer said.

Violence broke out in 81 villages and four forest villages. We have so far received reports of 14 deaths from Gossaigaon. More than one lakh were displaced. Though about 40,000 people have returned home,50,000 more are living in refugee camps, said Vinod Shesan,Sub Divisional Officer. A police officer,however,said the death toll was about 20.