Marginal improvement in Assam situation

Last updated on: November 21, 2003 13:13 IST

An uneasy calm prevails in Assam with no major incident of violence reported overnight while curfew in worst-hit Tinsukia town was relaxed for two hours from 11.30 a.m. to enable people to buy essential commodities.

Official sources in Guwahati said the fear of reprisal continues to stalk some residents of Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Dhubri, Bongaigaon and Nalbari towns. In Nalbari, curfew was suspended for 10 hours from 6 am.

The curfew in Tinsukia and Dibrugarh districts has hit train services. The districts have a sizeable Bihari population but many opted to leave the state and made a beeline for railway stations.

Dibrugarh district Deputy Commissioner N Verma told PTI that the dusk-to-dawn curfew was clamped from 5 pm to 5 am in the oil town of Duliajan, the fertiliser town of Namrup, Tengakhat, Tingkhong and Moran to prevent any fresh outbreak of violence.

Prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code continued to remain in force in Bihari-dominated areas in Dibrugarh district.