Over 60 dead in India attacks

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The number of villagers killed by insurgents in north-east India has risen to more than 60, police said Wednesday.
The main targets of Tuesday's coordinated attacks were villages in two districts in Assam state, close to the border with Bhutan, the general inspector of the local police LR Bishnoi told dpa.
At least 36 people were killed in Sonitpur district, and some 25 bodies were discovered in neighbouring Kokrajhar.
"Most of them were women and children," Sonitpur police chief Sanjukta Parasar said.
Local tribespeople who worked on the tea plantations in the region were the target, NDTV reported.
The assailants were dressed in military uniforms and had assault rifles.
Police said that the attackers were likely militants from the National Democratic Front of Bodoland, which opposes peace talks between the government and some Bodo groups.
Some members of the Bodo ethnic group from the state of Assam are fighting for autonomy or their own state.
The cabinet in Delhi observed two minutes's silence for the victims Wednesday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the attacks and promised 200,000 rupees (3,153 dollars) in compensation to the families of each person killed, and 50,000 rupees to the seriously injured victims.
Police said the attacks were probably in revenge for the anti-guerilla actions by the security forces. The militants could have suspected the villagers of giving information on their hideouts to the security forces, the Times of India reported.
President Pranab Mukherjee said on his Twitter account that such "acts of terror & violence must be put down with a firm hand."
The army was sending thousands of extra soldiers to less accessible parts of Assam following the attacks.          

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