Army Chief says all Indian airbases well protected

New Delhi, Aug.16 (ANI): Chief of Army Staff General Bikram Singh on Thursday said that all airbases and other defence installations in India are well protected.

Reacting to the militant attack on the Kamra Air Force Base in Pakistan and queried about how well protected were airbases in India, General Singh said: "We have our procedures in place. All the bases are protected. We have protective measures in place. Our SOPs (surveillance observation posts) are there and they are all defended, and there is no problem."

"We have means also to generate intelligence with regard to this kind of threat which may come up to these bases," added General Bikram Singh.

On the ethnic violence in Assam, he said: "The army is playing its role as it is our constitutional obligation. Our troops are functioning properly. The state administration is working accordingly."

Violence between the Bodo tribe people and Muslim communities broke out on July 20, after unidentified men killed four Bodo youths.

In retaliation, armed Bodos - who dominate Kokrajhar and Chirang districts - attacked Muslims, suspecting them of being behind the deaths.

About 77 people have been killed in the deadly riots till now.

In recent years, Hindu and Christian tribes have vented strong anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim sentiment against settlers from mostly Muslim Bangladesh, which neighbours Assam.

Tensions have long existed between the two groups in this region, famed for its lush tea plantations and as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's parliamentary constituency.

The Bodos have long fought for a separate homeland and after a 16-year armed struggle; they signed a 2003 peace accord with New Delhi, giving them autonomy over the four districts.

They say many of the Muslims, who over the years have grown to outnumber the Bodos, are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

The Muslims, who work for Bodos on their fields and construction sites or as rickshaw drivers, say they are Indian citizens and have voting rights.

This is not the first time that the two groups have clashed. In 1993, Bodos attacked Muslims and other communities resulting in around 2,000 deaths and thousands displaced. (ANI)