Curfew will continue for 10 more days in Assam’s Hailakandi district, which witnessed unprecedented group clashes on Friday, deputy commissioner Keerthi Jalli said here on Monday.
Curfew was imposed in the headquarters town here at 1pm on Friday and clamped across the district at 6pm the same day.
Trouble erupted in the district after police action against a section of people who tried to offer Friday prayers outside an overcrowded mosque on SS Road here which was followed by group clashes here that spread to other parts of the district.
After a three-hour break here on Sunday, curfew was relaxed in the district from 9am to 6pm on Monday. No untoward incident has been reported from any part of the district in 24 hours.
The army, Rapid Action Force, CRPF and Assam Police personnel continued to stage flag marches here on Monday as a confidence-building measure. Educational institutions and government offices remained closed in the district for the fourth day.
Jalli said nine of the 14 injured who had been admitted to Silchar Medical College and Hospital in adjoining Cachar district were still under treatment.
She also said Internet services, blocked since Friday night, would be restored on Tuesday and apologised to the people for the inconvenience.
She assured them that that banking services would also resume on Tuesday with the restoration of Internet services.
ATMs have gone out of service throughout the district owing to Internet disruption over the past four days.
Supply of piped water was restored late on Sunday night under police surveillance. The police were deployed to protect water supply installations, repeatedly damaged by miscreants since Friday.
Jalli said the district administration would closely monitor the media after restoration of Internet and assess the social media posts that led to the violence. She said a special cell has been formed exclusively for the purpose.
She appealed to the people to crosscheck with the administration if any objectionable post is received on social media before forwarding such content. She assured that those responsible for the unrest would be arrested after a thorough inquiry.
Additional chief secretary Rajiv Kumar Bora, whom chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal asked to conduct a probe, was yet to reach town. Jalli said he was expected after relaxation of curfew.
Members of various civil organisations and senior citizens met the deputy commissioner on Monday, urging her to intervene and check spiralling prices of essential commodities. Jalli said the administration has started assessing damage caused to public and private property, shops and business establishments from Monday.
