Tension mounted in Kokrajhar district under the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) in Assam on Monday after a farmer was hacked to death at Banglabari village.
Clashes between Bodo tribals and immigrant Muslims in Kokrajhar, Dhubri and Chirang districts under BTAD between July and August had claimed 97 lives and rendered about 5 lakh people homeless.
It prompted the state government to review the law and order situation in the Bodoland Territorial Areas Districts (BTAD). "There are enough security personnel in BTAD. If the situation demands, we will send more," said state home secretary GD Tripathy.
With the latest killing, the death toll in the district rose to three. On Saturday two persons were killed in separate incidents.
The victim of Monday's violence was identified as Ali Hussain. In protest against police's failure to stop the killings, villagers of Banglabari and its adjoining areas resisted police's efforts to take away Hussain's body. The police finally overpowered the villagers and took the body to Tulisibeel police station, where villagers gathered to continue their protest.
The police fired blanks to disperse the villagers but the angry mob took away the body and staged a rail blockade for an hour.