Thousands of Indian troops marched Wednesday through a northeast region to quell ethnic violence that has killed 34 people, but roving bands of rioters continued sporadic attacks, ripping apart homes and setting them on fire. Nearly 200,000 people have fled homes in western Assam state, bundling meager belongings in cloths and crowding into government camps for protection from violence that erupted late last week. Hundreds of wood and thatch houses have been burned, according to a report of the Associated Press. Police said they have discovered dozens of bodies hacked with machetes and dumped in the jungle or by roadsides since the violence broke out in the district of Kokrajhar. Army and paramilitary soldiers have fatally shot five people since receiving a mandate on Tuesday to shoot rioters on sight, Assam Home Secretary G.D. Tripathy said. Authorities on Wednesday reported an additional two people dead, bringing the overall toll to 34, and said the violence had spread within four districts. Officials lifted a 24-hour curfew in the area for a few hours to allow people to collect food from shops. Assam's lawmakers, from all parties, were visiting the area to plead for peace.
