NEW DELHI, 25 November 2003 — Bihar strongman Laloo Prasad Yadav arrived in the strife-stricken Assam yesterday heading an eight-member parliamentary delegation on a one-day peace mission.
Assam saw its first peaceful day in nine days yesterday, with no attacks reported on Biharis anywhere in the state, which has been rocked by violent clashes between Hindi-speaking settlers and locals for the past nine days leaving 54 people dead.
A police spokesman said the three mutilated bodies were recovered from a drain near Azukhachapori village in the Tinsukia district, 560 km from Guwahati.
Senior police official Khagen Sharma said yesterday there had been no overnight incidents of violence and the situation “is fast returning to normal.”
Thousands of people marched silently yesterday in a series of peace rallies across the state. Women, students, executives and businessmen marched in Guwahati, the state’s main city, carrying placards and banners reading, “We hate violence” and “Violence will not solve our problem”.
To instill confidence among the people, authorities were forming vigilante groups in vulnerable areas involving local Assamese youths to foil attacks on Hindi-speakers.
Yadav met with Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and members of the All Assam Students’ Union, which started the campaign against Hindi-speaking people.
“Hatred and animosity should stop between the people of Assam and Bihar,” Yadav said. “We have age-old links between the Assamese and the Biharis and at no cost should we allow this bond to break.”
“Laloo Yadav’s visit in this hour of crisis would help remove misgivings between the two states,” the Assam chief minister said.
Meanwhile, the region was facing a food shortage yesterday after truck drivers refused to enter Assam due to the clashes, officials said.
“Most of the truckers are Hindi-speakers and they are reluctant to come to Assam from other parts of the country carrying essentials,” an Assam Chambers of Commerce spokesman said.
“The state will witness a food crisis as most of the essentials come from outside the region. Already we have noticed prices of goods going up manifold.”
Assam’s strategic geographical location makes it the gateway to the region. The only highway connecting the rest of India with the northeast runs through Assam and this route carries all supplies including food and fuel to the six provinces.
