Hundreds
of rebels have surrendered
The
human rights group Amnesty International says the Indian authorities should
order an inquiry into a wave of killings in the north-eastern state of
Assam, in which more than 100 people have died. "In the light of
the escalating violence and conflicting claims about who has carried out
the killings, the government must exercise some control over this dire
situation," the group said in a statement. The killings - mainly
of settlers from other Indian states and from neighbouring Nepal and Bhutan
- have taken place over the past two months. The local authorities
blame several insurgent groups fighting for either secession or greater
autonomy.
Former
rebels used
Amnesty
said that the Indian authorities should start impartial and independent
investigations into the killings with a view to bringing those responsible
to justice. The London-based organisation said there had also been
allegations that former rebels who surrendered to the authorities were
being used in the fight against the main separatist group, the United Liberation
Front of Assam, (Ulfa). Although an estimated 900 rebels have given
up the fight in the past year, the insurgent group continues to fight on.
There have also been attacks involving tribal Bodo groups seeking a separate
state of Bodoland in western Assam.
Neglected
Ulfa
rebels accuse the Indian Government of exploiting Assam's resources, neglecting
the local economy and flooding the state with migrant settlers. However,
the group says it does not target civilians from other ethnic or linguistic
groups, and has accused the government of masterminding the recent upsurge
in violence. Opposition parties in Assam have demanded that federal
rule be imposed, saying the state government cannot restore law and order.
In another development, hundreds of human rights activists and students
have held a demonstration in the state capital, Guwahati, to protest against
the killing of some relatives of a separatist leader. Police said
nearly 2,000 people took part in the protest over the killing this week
of three close relatives of the deputy commander of Ulfa, Raju Barua. |