Violence spreads in Assam state

Some of the worst violence has been in Udalguri district (Pictures: Subhamoy Bhattacharjee)

The death toll in several days of violence in India's north-eastern Assam state has risen to 40, officials say.

More than 100 people have been injured in the riots that have now spread to five districts of the state.

The clashes broke out on Friday between Bodo tribespeople and Muslim settlers from Bangladesh in Udalguri district, and have spread to nearby areas.

The groups have been fighting with bows and arrows, machetes and guns, and several villages have been set on fire.

Police have imposed a curfew and have orders to shoot rioters on sight.

'Acted tough'

On Monday, fresh clashes between Muslims and another tribe, the Rabhas, were reported from the state's western district of Goalpara.

Assam police spokesman Bhaskarjyoti Mahanta said 10 people were injured in the clash between the Rabha tribesmen and the Muslims at a rubber estate in the Nalanga Hills.

The BBC's Subir Bhaumik in Calcutta says the Assam police have acted tough to quell the riots, opening fire in at least 12 places over the weekend.

Thousands have fled their homes due to the violence

On Sunday, police opened fire to disperse rioting groups and killed 16 people, a state government spokesman said.

The Udalguri district has seen the worst violence with 25 deaths.

Nine deaths have been reported in the neighbouring district of Darrang and one in Baksa.

The other two affected districts are Sonitpur and Goalpara.

Clashes started late on Friday after news spread that some Muslims had stolen cattle from Bodo villages in Rowta area of Udalguri.

Rumours that Muslim militants had planted bombs and raised Pakistani flags added to the tension, local officials said.

Subsequently, several Muslim villages in Rowta were attacked and houses were set on fire.

Removed

The Muslims retaliated after the body of a Muslim man was found on Saturday morning.

Udalguri's head of administration and the police chief have been removed from their posts for failing to take prompt measures to curb the violence, officials said.

A government spokesman said several relief camps have been opened in Udalguri and Darrang districts, mostly in school buildings, where more than 80,000 people have taken shelter.

The state's Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has appealed to all communities to refrain from any further violence and maintain calm.

There have been long-running tensions in Assam state between indigenous peoples and settlers.

Over the last two months, members of indigenous communities such as the Bodos have been targeting immigrant Muslims of Bengali descent, describing them as "illegal infiltrators" from Bangladesh, our correspondent says.

The Muslim leaders say most of their people came to Assam before Bangladesh came into existence in 1971 and obtained Indian citizenship legally, adds our correspondent.