Assam massacre: 31 Muslims killed by Bodo militants for not voting for tight candidate; Army deployed

Guwahati: Army was deployed on Saturday evening after as many as 31 Muslims were killed in violence unleashed by NDFB-Songbijit militants in Bodoland Territorial Administration Districts (BTADC) area in Assam. The massacre took place towards the end of 2014 Lok Sabha polls, which has widened religious and ethnic divisions across the country. The bodies of the victims, including four children and two women, were recovered from Khagrabari village under Salbari sub-division adjacent to the Manas National Park, official sources said. Bodies of two children were identified as Ilina Khatun and Ariful Islam. The tea-growing state witnessed bloodshed due to what is being said as failure of immigrant Muslims, to vote for a tribal party candidate in Kokrajhar Lok Sabha seat. Kokrajhar is the headquarters of the ethnically volatile areas under Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC), which is ruled by the Bodoland People's Front (BPF), a constituent of the Congress-led government in Assam. Indefinite curfew was imposed in Kokrajhar, Baksa and Chirang districts of Assam following the violence.