Assam death toll rises to 42

With the recovery of one more body, the death toll in Assam's violence-hit Udalguri and Darrang districts rose to 42, even as CM Tarun Gogoi claimed that the situation had "improved".

With the recovery of one more body, the death toll in Assam's violence-hit Udalguri and Darrang districts today rose to 42, even as Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi claimed that the situation had "improved".

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One person was killed early this morning by unidentified miscreants at Kachubil in Udalguri district, official sources said, adding one body was recovered from the area later today. The two were reported missing since last night, they said.

Indefinite curfew and shoot-at-sight were continuing in the two districts with the army staging flag marches, the sources said.

The Chief Minister, however, said 40 people had been killed till yesterday and the situation had improved with no fresh incident reported since last evening.

Of the 40 persons killed so far, the Chief Minister said in a statement, 15 died in police firing. About 500 houses were set ablaze and over a lakh people were taking shelter in relief camps.

Gogoi said that he had asked the army and para-military to maintain strict vigil. Ten companies of army personnel had been deployed and four companies of BSF were also rushed tothe violence-hit areas, he said.

Helicopters were in the air to spot mobs in the troubled areas, he said.

The assembly speaker has been asked to lead an all-party team to the affected districts to restore peace.

Appealing all sections of people to maintain peace and not to be provoked by propoganda, Gogoi assured the people in relief camps that the government would provide them food, water, electricity and health-care facilities.