Assam protesters attack police

Thousands of protestors in the northeastern Indian state of Assam defied a curfew on Thursday and attacked officers near the unstable border with its neighbor Nagaland.

Brandishing sticks, stones, and in some cases bows and arrows, residents of Assam's Golaghat district assaulted the state police on the grounds that the authorities had failed to defend them from the Nagas.

At least 20 people have died and 10,000 have fled their homes in five days of unrest, according to Indian officials.

"The situation in Assam is volatile and emotions are high among the people against the government for its failure," said Akhil Gogoi, a protest leader in Guwahati, Assam's main commercial city. Shops and businesses were closed in Golaghat town and a dusk-to-dawn curfew was put in place. This follows public outrage at police for shooting dead at least three protestors and injuring 14 others on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Assam Home Secretary G.D. Tripathy said the government suspended one policeman and had ordered an inquiry.

Long-running land dispute

Tensions have repeatedly erupted between the border villages since Nagaland's creation in 1963. Land disputes and different ethic groups' call for greater autonomy have led to conflict in the region. More than 100 people have died in related violence in the past forty years.

The most recent wave of fighting began last week when, according to police, Nagas killed 15 Assamese villagers and burned their homes. Groups in Assam retaliated by setting up road blockades to prevent necessary goods from entering Nagaland.

The Assamese launched widespread protests when police and paramilitary units were ordered to disperse the road blocks.

Government mediation

New Delhi has often deployed troops in India's northeast region, which borders China, Myanmar and Bangladesh, prompting critics to accuse politicians of neglecting the region except in times of conflict.

Recently elected Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi chose a former army leader for his minister of northeast affairs in an effort to bolster border infrastructure and increase economic activity in the area. Modi has called for a report on the violence from the chief ministers of Nagaland and Assam.

The thousands of displaced are living in relief camps. A federal official plans to visit Assam on Thursday for talks with authorities from both states. A futher 1,000 troops have been sent into the region to join the 15,000 already stationed in Golaghat district.

es/tj (AP, dpa, Reuters)