Hundreds of rebels have surrendered

The human rights group Amnesty International says the Indian authorities should order an inquiry into a wave of killings in the north-eastern state of Assam, in which more than 100 people have died. "In the light of the escalating violence and conflicting claims about who has carried out the killings, the government must exercise some control over this dire situation," the group said in a statement. The killings - mainly of settlers from other Indian states and from neighbouring Nepal and Bhutan - have taken place over the past two months. The local authorities blame several insurgent groups fighting for either secession or greater autonomy.

Former rebels used

Amnesty said that the Indian authorities should start impartial and independent investigations into the killings with a view to bringing those responsible to justice. The London-based organisation said there had also been allegations that former rebels who surrendered to the authorities were being used in the fight against the main separatist group, the United Liberation Front of Assam, (Ulfa). Although an estimated 900 rebels have given up the fight in the past year, the insurgent group continues to fight on. There have also been attacks involving tribal Bodo groups seeking a separate state of Bodoland in western Assam.

Neglected

Ulfa rebels accuse the Indian Government of exploiting Assam's resources, neglecting the local economy and flooding the state with migrant settlers. However, the group says it does not target civilians from other ethnic or linguistic groups, and has accused the government of masterminding the recent upsurge in violence. Opposition parties in Assam have demanded that federal rule be imposed, saying the state government cannot restore law and order. In another development, hundreds of human rights activists and students have held a demonstration in the state capital, Guwahati, to protest against the killing of some relatives of a separatist leader. Police said nearly 2,000 people took part in the protest over the killing this week of three close relatives of the deputy commander of Ulfa, Raju Barua.