Quick Edit | Normalcy first, please

Assam continues to be in the grip of violence. Three more persons have been killed in the past 48 hours and indefinite curfew has been reimposed in the violence-marred Kokrajhar district.

The response of the state government has been, to put it mildly, wanting. Chief minister Tarun Gogoi has recommended a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation. This will help no one. Even if the individual who started it all can be found, how does that help solve the ongoing problems?

The fact is that the Assam government stands exposed: it has proved incapable of the basic task of maintaining law and order. Accountability should start at the chief minister’s level. Finding a scapegoat won’t do.

A judicial probe—not a mere investigation—is required to find out what happened in Assam. But that is a task for a later time. Right now the focus should be on restoring normalcy in the state.