The Hindu : National : Killings have lowered Assam's image: Gogoi

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Sunday, Jan 07, 2007
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Killings have lowered Assam's image: Gogoi

Special Correspondent

Government failed to protect innocent people: Opposition

— Photo: Ritu Raj Konwar

VICTIM OF ATTACK: One of the persons injured in the ULFA attack in Tinsukia district being brought for treatment at the Assam Medical College and Hospital in Dibrugarh, about 500 km away from Guwahati, on Saturday.

Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Saturday described as an act of cowardice the killings of Biharis and others by the United Liberation Front of Asom in serial attacks in Tinsukia, Dibrugarh and Dhemaji districts.

Opposition parties, while condemning the incidents, accused the State Government of failing to protect innocent citizens.

The senseless killings of the poor, innocent people, most of them Hindi speaking, lowered the image and prestige of Assam, and were a clear signal that the ULFA was not interested in peace talks, Mr. Gogoi said.

Asked whether the incident was the result of a failure on the part of the security forces to take note of a statement in the ULFA mouthpiece Freedom that Assam was being turned into a mini Rajasthan, mini Bihar, mini Kolkata by migrants as an indication of the outfit's plan to target Hindi-speaking people, Mr. Gogoi said though they could sense a threat, the attacks occurred in remote and inaccessible places which could not be fully covered owing to shortage of forces.

AGP demand

The Asom Gana Parishad demanded that both the Centre and the State solve the insurgency problem through a sincere dialogue with all militant outfits which expressed a willingness to talk.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) said the State Government had not taken the political parties into confidence and was yet to convene an all-party meeting to evolve consensus on solving the problem.

Twelve other parties including the Nationalist Congress Party and the AGP (Progressive) demanded the resignation of the Gogoi Government.

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