Darrang/Udalguri (Assam), Oct 7 : Hundreds of riot victims are thronging relief camps in Assam after at least 40 people were killed and thousands were left homeless by ethnic clashes between Bodo tribals and Bangladeshi settlers.

Women living in the relief camps said they were relieved to be alive.

"Much injustice has been done to our people. At present we are here, coming from far away places and we are facing a lot of difficulties. We somehow managed to escape running through the fields and reached here," said Munu Boro, a riot victim.

Guwahati, Oct 6 : The death toll in Assam’s Udalguri and Darrang districts, dogged by clashes between Bodos and illegal Bangladeshi migrants, rose to 40 on Saturday with the violence spreading to neighbouring Chirang district.

Miscreants killed two people, including a pregnant woman, and injured two others in Chirang district, which led to blockade of the National Highway 31(C) by Bodo protesters, the police said.

New Delhi - India's north-eastern state of Assam deployed thousands of additional police to stem clashes between Bodo tribals and Muslim migrants from Bangladesh that have claimed 40 lives and displaced as many as 80,000 villagers, officials said Monday.

The clashes erupted in Udalgiri and Darrang districts about 70 kilometres north of state capital Guwahati on Friday evening.

The violence spread to the Baksa and Sonitpur districts in the region and on Monday clashes between Muslims and the Rabhas tribe were reported from the western district of Goalpara.

Guwahati, Oct 5 : Over 25 people have been killed in communal clashes in Assam as the situation turned critical between the local tribals and Bangladeshi migrants in Udalguri and Darrang Districts of the state, according to unconfirmed reports.

Today, the violence spread to Rauta village in Udalguri District, about 80 kms east of Guwahati, where a large number of houses have been burnt down.

On Saturday, the Assam Government had issued shoot-at-sight orders in curfew-bound Udalguri District to paramilitary forces and the Army in order to curb the violence.

Guwahati, Oct 4 : The Assam Government has issued shoot-at-sight orders today in curfew-bound Udalguri District where at least seven persons were killed and more than 50 injured in clashes between two communities on Friday.

Inspector General of Assam Police (Law and Order) Bhaskarjyoti Mahanta said, "We have asked police, paramilitary and Army soldiers to shoot anybody found indulging in violent activities."

New Delhi - Seven suspected militants were killed in a gunbattle with Indian Army soldiers in India's north-eastern Assam state on Friday, an army spokesman said.

The soldiers had laid an ambush after intelligence reports indicated movement of militants in Dhubri district of Assam, about 300 kilometres west of the state's main city Guwahati, defence spokesperson Rajesh Kalia said by telephone from Guwahati.

"When the militants fired, our troopers returned fire and seven of the militants were killed," Kalia said. He said the identity of the terrorists was not yet clear.

Revolvers, explosive RDX, grenades, gelatine sticks and wireless sets were found on the dead militants.