KOKILA: Several thousand people, mostly Bodos, are living under the open sky in the jungle of Arunachal Pradesh after over 100 people were killed earlier this month in Gohpur areas of Assam.

A group of newsmen who visited some of the areas along with the Chief Minister Gegong Apang on Sunday found people busy erecting makeshift huts to protect themselves from the scorching sun.

Most of them have lost their houses and personal belonging in the violence.

The newsmen saw three decomposed bodies in the jungle. Three bodies were reportedly picked up by the Assam police from the area earlier, eyewitnesses said,

Nittananda Basumatary president of Bishwnath Charali Bodo Students Union told newsmen that over 75 villages in Sonitpur and Lakhimpur districts were burnt down rendering over 80,000 people homeless. About 150 people ‘were missing. Of them 90 are from Sonitupur district and 60 from Lakhimpur district, he claimed.

Mr. Abang distributed relief among the victims.

He assured them that he would take up the matter with the Assam Government and the Centre after his return to Itanagar.

District officials here denied that 94 bodies has been recovered from the Arunahcal Pradesh territory as reported in a section of the press.

District authorities have set up two temporary police outposts in the area to maintain law and order. Two outposts and a CRPF camp already exist in the area.

When the Lakhimpur district officials requested the affected people to return to their respective villages, they said, “we have no faith in Assam police as well as the state Government.”

The newsmen saw some abandoned villages with desolate houses. Shops in a market were without lock and key. The victims were so scared that when they found some newsmen moving around a few of them who came to collect their belongings from across the border, returned to Arunachal Pradesh in utter desperation.

Apang said the Assam Home Minister, Bhrigu Kumar Phukan had requested the Arunachal Pradesh Government to undertake a joint operation to flush out Bodo militants.

Article extracted from this publication >>  September 1, 1989