Tribal community in Siliguri protests against Assam militant attacks

The tribal community in Siliguri staged protest against the militant attacks in Assam that killed at least 80 people.

Protesters from Adivasi Socio-Educational Association (ASEA) on Monday took to streets in Siliguri and demanded for action against the militants.

Secretary of Darjeeling wing ASEA committee, Trinath Murmu, said that they were demanding immediate action by the government to maintain the peace in the region.

"We are protesting against the attacks that killed many tribals. These kinds of attacks have taken place many times in the region. We want that these things should stop as soon as possible. If such attacks continue, we will stage a nationwide protest against it," said Murmu.

"We want peace. We don't want violence," he added.

Police believe that a faction of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), fighting for a separate state for ethnic Bodos, was behind the coordinated attacks on tea plantation workers and their families in Assam last week, the deadliest in years.

Assam is one of the seven states that make up country's remote northeast, home to more than 200 tribes and dozens of insurgencies, some seeking greater autonomy and others secession.