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violence in Assam, security stepped up
Samata candidate
shot at, Advani sends his MoS to Guwahati
Agencies
Guwahati, May 2:
Even as pre-election violance continued today in Assam with Samata
Party candidate Dipak Kalita being shot and four others, including
two AGP activists, killed, the Centre today said it was despatching
additional reinforcements of paramilitary forces to the state and
had deployed additional Army units in the vulnerable areas along
the border.
And Home Minister L K Advani has deputed his minister of state C
Vidyasagar Rao to visit the state for a first hand assessment of
the situation there, with special reference to Dibrugarh, where
a BJP candidate was killed yesterday.
"Home Secretary Kamal Pande has assured me that he would ensure
that additional central forces will be immediately despatched to
Assam," Chief Election Commissioner M S Gill said after a meeting
of the Election Commission to review poll arrangements.
Gill said the state Chief Electoral Officer and the Director-General
of Police had told him they were "confident" that elections
could be held and that there was no cause for panic.
Meanwhile, a Home Ministry spokesman said security forces in the
state had been put on high alert and the situation was being closely
monitored.
The force level being deployed in Assam is currently higher than
that during the 1999 Lok sabha elections, he said. ‘‘Day-to-day
review of the situation in Assam is being undertaken by the Home
Ministry as also necessary follow-up action," he said.
In today’s attack, Kalita was shot at by suspected ULFA militants
near the IOC depot at Goreswar near Rangia in Kamrup district at
1.30 a.m.
Kalita was shot at while eating at a roadside hotel after addressing
several rallies in Rangia, police said, adding a party worker was
killed in the firing.
The BJP leader has been rushed to Guwahati for treatment, they said.
Meanwhile, the BJP’s Assam unit said it would observe a ‘protest
day’ on Thursday to condemn the violence across the state targetting
candidates and workers of alliance partners BJP and AGP.
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