Suspected ULFA militants burnt two Biharis to death in Tinsukia district of Upper Assam today, taking the toll in the ethnic violence up to 52, even as Union Minister C.P. Thakur said the state government had failed to assess the situation in the district.A group of militants swooped on village Halokhowa and burnt down several houses of the Bihari community in the wee hours of today, police said here.Panic-stricken people fled the houses but two got trapped and were burnt to death. Heavy police reinforcements have been rushed to the spot and combing operation launched.Thakur, who is Union Minister for Development of the Northeastern Region, along with Union Minister of State for Home Swami Chinmayanand, toured the three relief camps in the district and spoke to local officials. Swamy said measures were being taken and urged the people to maintain restraint. ‘‘All measures have been taken to stop the third force, and police and Army operations against them will continue,’’ Swami said, referring to the ULFA and ISI as perpetrators of the violence.‘‘The state government could have definitely prevented the situation from deteriorating had it woken up on time and taken the right decisions,’’ Thakur said.Gogoi countered the allegations, saying the state was coordinating intelligence outputs. ‘‘We have intelligence reports of the possibility of attacks by the militants and are taking steps to prevent them,’’ Gogoi said. ‘‘But no one can say the exact place and time when the extremists will strike.’’The brick kilns with a large number of Bihari labourers have been shut down. ‘‘We have brought Biharis living in the vulnerable remote areas to relief camps that have a security apparatus,’’ he said. That, perhaps, is all the state can provide, going by the claims of those living in the camps.The district administration is helpless and volunteers have to make do with that they can mobilise. ‘‘As material provided by the district administration is not enough, we are collecting food from the local population too,’’ said Rajesh Gupta, a volunteer at the Debipukhuri relief camp.
