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Amnesty wants probe into Assam killings

Amnesty International called Friday for an independent inquiry into a recent wave of civilian massacres in Assam, in which at least 120 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 London-based rights group said in a statement.

"The government must initiate impartial and independent investigations to reveal the perpetrators and bring them to justice."

The killings, which came in November and December last year, are being blamed on several insurgent groups fighting for either secession or greater autonomy.

The Assam government has squarely blamed the outlawed United Liberation Front of Assam for targeting settlers from other Indian states and neighbouring Nepal and Bhutan.

The ULFA, however, has denied responsibility for the attacks.

"We are fighting for an independent homeland. We are not involved in killing of any Hindi-speaking people or minorities in Assam," Paresh Baruah, military chief of the ULFA said recently.

"The killings are being masterminded by the government themselves and we have got evidence to prove that," Baruah said.

Separatist militants also accuse the federal government of flooding Assam with outsiders and neglecting the local economy.

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