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Rebels blamed for attacks that killed nearly 70 in India

 
Published Dec. 25, 2014

Clashes in India

Coordinated attacks leave nearly 70 dead

MUMBAI, India — Indian paramilitary forces rushed to the restive northeastern state of Assam on Wednesday after separatist rebels gunned down nearly 70 people in a spasm of violence linked to long-running land and tribal disputes.

The coordinated attacks late Tuesday were carried out by ethnic Bodos, who have long agitated for an independent state, against settlers known as "adivasi," many of whom work on Assam's renowned tea plantations.

In retaliatory strikes Wednesday, several Bodo villages and hundreds of households were set ablaze, apparently by settlers, according to Bodo activists.

A faction of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland, a rebel group that the Indian government has designated as a terrorist organization, was blamed for the Tuesday night attacks, which occurred across two districts and were reportedly carried out to avenge Indian army operations against the group several weeks ago.

Indian news media reported that the dead in one district, Kokrajhar, included 18 children and 21 women.

Indian forces declared a curfew in the affected areas, but advocates for the Bodo people said security measures were weak and retaliatory attacks could continue.

Los Angeles Times (TNS)