Tribal militant attacks kill at least 54

The attacks by Bodo militants took place Tuesday, Assam Police Inspector-General S.N. Singh told CNN.

The Bodo insurgents -- apparently angry over a recent police crackdown that led to several arrests and the seizure of weapons -- targeted members of another tribal community, said Khagen Sarma, the state police chief.

India's impoverished northeast region has a high concentration of extremist groups from different backgrounds with conflicting ethnic and political interests.

The Bodo militants have long-standing tensions with Muslim settlers in Assam, according to police. But in this case, they attacked members of another tribal community.

Sarma didn't provide the name of the tribespeople who were targeted, but called them "soft targets." He said the Bodo fighters used guns in the attacks.

Authorities have ordered a curfew in areas targeted by the extremists, police said.

Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh is expected to visit Assam on Wednesday to review the situation, his spokesman K.S. Dhatwalia said.