Assam violence: Rajnath calls up Gogoi, Zelian, asks them to restore peace

New Delhi: Concerned over unabated violence along Assam-Nagaland border, Home Minister Rajnath Singh today telephoned chief ministers of Assam and Nagaland and asked them to defuse tension along the borders of the two states. Singh told Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and his Nagaland counterpart TR Zelian that violence along the border must end at the earliest and all possible steps should be taken to defuse tension. [caption id=“attachment_1673351” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi. PTI[/caption] Official sources said the home minister told Gogoi and Zelian that action must be taken against those who indulge in violence and police must maintain restraint while facing peaceful protesters. The home minister suggested that the chief ministers should sit across the table and find out ways on how to bring harmony between the people of Assam and Nagaland living along the border. Singh offered Gogoi and Zelian all Central assistance to bring back normalcy along the Assam-Nagaland border. He also conveyed to them that Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju will travel to Guwahati on Thursday to take stock of the situation and talk to both the chief ministers. Zelian will be in Assam capital on Thursday to attend a meeting of chief ministers of all northeastern states. The home minister’s action came hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi sought a report on the situation along Assam-Nagaland border where tension prevailed after killing of nine people in Assam’s Golaghat district by armed groups allegedly from Nagaland. Nine people were killed and 10,000 people rendered homeless following the 12 August incident at Uriamghat in Golaghat district. Three persons were killed and six injured today in police firing in Golaghat town when a mob tried to set ablaze the Deputy Commissioner’s office and a police station and targeted a hospital, after which indefinite curfew was clamped there. Chief Minister Gogoi was on Sunday heckled by some villagers when he had visited violence-hit Uriamghat. The chief minister had also alleged inaction by CRPF deployed at the troubled site to prevent attacks from across the state’s border. However, Rijiju today dismissed as baseless Gogoi’s allegation. At least 18 protesters were also injured after police fired rubber pellets and resorted to lathicharge at Rangajan in Golaghat district on Tuesday. Police said a group of protesters turned violent and attacked the police and CRPF personnel deployed in the area following a road blockade agitation launched by them. The protesters were agitating against alleged failure of security forces to protect the people at Uriamghat. PTI