Militants kill 37 in Assam, Modi condemns attacks

Suspected Bodo militants on Tuesday killed 37 people, mainly tribals. The dead included four women in a series of attacks at four places in Sonitpur and Kokrajhar districts of Assam.

The police said 10 others were also injured in the attack by armed militants belonging to the Songbijit faction of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB).

A curfew was imposed on Tuesday night in areas under four police stations in the Sonitpur district, it said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the killings as cowardice. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the deceased," he tweeted.

Modi said he had spoken to Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh. "The Union minister will travel to Assam," he said.

Singh said the killing could never be justified.

The Centre was monitoring the situation and the paramilitary forces had been rushed to the spot, he tweeted.

Singh said he spoke to Gogoi who had told him of the situation. The Centre would provide all assistance to the state, he added.

A spokesperson of the Assam police said 30 persons had been gunned down in Sonitpur, while four had been killed in Kokrajhar on Tuesday evening.

In Kokrajhar, three were suspected to have been killed at an interior place in Ultapani, he said.