Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi here on Thursday claimed that situation in trouble-torn Western Assam was limping back to normalcy but lambasted national media for presenting a wrong picture of the state by saying “Assam is burning”.
Mr Gogoi, who visited the trouble-torn district Kokrajhar on Thursday, told reporters, “Situation has started improving since Wednesday and today there was no report of violence except a few minor clashes.” Mr Gogoi also announced that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh may visit the riot-hit areas of the state on Saturday.
He said that state administration was taking necessary steps to provide relief and rehabilitation to those affected in the violence. “The administration had not anticipated displacement at this scale but we are confident to provide relief and rehabilitation to all those affected people,” said Mr Gogoi regretting that national media was presenting a distorted picture of the state as if entire 28 districts of the state was burning in violence. “I want to say them Assam is not burning,” said Mr Gogoi angrily.
Asserting that only three out of 28 districts of state was affected in violence, Mr Gogoi announced a compensation of `6 lakh to each families of those killed in violence.
Mr Gogoi also said that his government was going to rehabilitate all those who lost their houses and belongings in this clash, which broke out on July 20.
Meanwhile, sporadic incident of mob violence was reported from trouble torn Western Assam, even as one rioter was shot dead in police firing in Dhubri district while a magistrate Bipul Saikai of Kokrajhar district administration was attacked and critically wounded by camp inmates when he went to give them relief. The death toll in Kokrajhar violence has gone up to 43.
Four persons were seriously injured when some persons opened fired at Mussolpur in Baksa district, neighbouring Chirang district.
Stray incidents of violence were reported from Kokrajhar district as well as Chirang, Dhubri and Baksa during the night.
Indefinite curfew and shoot-at-sight orders were in force in worst affected Kokrajhar district, while night curfew was on in Chirang and Dhubri district. The Western range DIG Surendar Kumar claimed that situation was returning to normal.