The Assam government has requested the Centre to provide 10 more companies of Central police forces for launching an operation to seize illegal weapons in Bodoland Territorial Area District areas.
One woman injured in firing in Nalbari village of curfew-clamped Kokrajhar district on Friday evening.
The State Home Department dashed an ‘action taken report’ to the Union Home Ministry in response to an advisory from it urging Dispur to be on high alert, deploy more force, seize illegal arms and to keep more Army troops on alert to prevent an escalation in violence.
Assam Home Secretary G.D. Tripathi told The Hindu that apart from sophisticated illegal weapons which were in the possession of insurgent elements, a large number of illegal weapons, both locally made as well as factory made, were in circulation among civilians.
Police rounded up 40 persons in connection with two incidents on Thursday that prompted the district administration to clamp indefinite curfew and call out the Army to prevent a flare up. The Army carried out a flag march in the district for the second consecutive day. Several persons were detained in the district for defying curfew.
Director General of Police Jayanto N. Choudhury visited Kokrajhar district on Friday to take stock of the situation and monitor deployment of force and enforcement of curfew and the operation to seize illegal arms.
