India's northeast gripped by fear after more civilians killed
Wed Oct 6, 4:54 AM ET South Asia - AFP
GUWAHATI, India (AFP) - India's northeast was gripped by fear following the overnight slaughter of more villagers by rebels, as the authorities launched a massive recruiting drive to bolster their anti-insurgency forces.
"The region is turning into a killing field and it is quite natural to be shaken by the violence," said Apurba Das, a doctor in Assam's main city of Guwahati, hours after heavily armed tribal separatists gunned down 10 villagers in the west of the state late Tuesday. Assam and neighbouring Nagaland state have been hit by an explosion of violence since Saturday, with 81 people killed and 217 injured in some 21 incidents of bombings and shootings. Most victims have been civilians.
The region is home to around two dozen militant and separatist groups with demands ranging from autonomy to secession. "People in general are a worried lot," said Asangla Ao, a businesswoman in Nagaland's commercial hub of Dimapur. Assam's chief minister Tarun Gogoi told AFP he had noted a change of tactics by the rebels. "The pattern of violence has changed with militants in recent days targeting civilians, a marked departure from their usual hit-and-guerrilla strikes against federal soldiers and other security forces," he said.
Targets in Nagaland and Assam have included busy market places and a crowded train station. Assam police blame the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) and the National Democratic Front of Bodoland for the attacks and the two groups have claimed some of the bloodletting. "Everybody here has been passing agonising days since the violence broke out," said Sukur Ali, a school teacher in Dhubri district's Makrijhora village, where 14 shoppers were killed on Saturday.
The village is close to Jalabela, scene of Tuesday night's killings, "People are scared and panicking with militants striking at ease almost daily," added Ali. The fear of rebel strikes had also heightened in Guwahati, with police broadcasting warnings over public address systems that two ULFA rebels were on the loose. "Now people are even scared to go to the markets with police making announcements over loudspeakers about two ULFA rebels entering the city," said Mahenda Agarwal, a textile merchant in Guwahati.
The violence has prompted the Assam government to announce the recruitment of some 8,000 police and paramilitary soldiers. "We are recruiting 6,000 personnel for the state police force and raising two battalions (2,000 personnel) of the India Reserve Battalion for counter-insurgency operations," Gogoi said Wednesday. "We also plan to recruit some 25,000 more people into the Village Defence Force that will act as a second line of defence in remote areas, besides an additional 20,000 Home Guards for beefing up our security."
The village defence force comprises groups of villagers who are given training and arms by security personnel. Many such groups are operating in Kashmir (news - web sites) where Indian troops are battling a 15-year Islamic insurgency. The United States has said officers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation could be made available to help hunt down the attackers, according to India's external affairs ministry.