Killings spark strikes in Assam

There has been rising violence in Assam Pic: Subhamoy Bhattacharjee

Strikes have been held in the north-eastern Indian state of Assam to protest against the recent killing of Hindi speakers.

More than 33 people have been killed in the state in the past week. A total of 26 of the dead were from the Hindi-speaking community.

The outlawed Ulfa and two other tribal militias are suspected of carrying out the attacks.

Ulfa has been fighting an armed rebellion against India since 1979.

Shops, markets, schools and colleges across Assam closed and the attendance in offices was thin.

Although flights were operating normally, there were few vehicles on the roads.

Boycott call

A team of senior federal officials, including the country's junior home minister, Shri Prakash Jaiswal, has reached Assam to assess the situation.

Police say militants have stepped up their offensive to stop people taking part in celebrations marking India's Independence Day on 15 August.

The Ulfa has called for a boycott of the event.

An effort to start peace talks between the rebels and the Indian government fell through last year.

The militants killed nearly 70 Hindi-speaking migrants across the state last January.

The rebel group says migrants and settlers from India's heartland states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are threatening the indigenous people of Assam.