Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Thursday ordered a probe into the alleged ‘fake encounter’ in Assam’s Chirang district on Wednesday, where the police and Army killed two youth and injured another one.
The Chief Minister asked Assam’s Additional Chief Secretary VB Pyarelal to conduct the probe and to submit the report to him by next 30 days time. The Chief Minister has also instructed State Chief Secretary Jitesh Khosla to initiate necessary action in this regard.
Two students — Jiri Narzary and Pranjit Narzary were killed while another — Nikedin Nazzary was seriously injured in an ‘encounter’ by police and Army at Raijungbari village under Runikhata police station Assam’s Chirang district around 1.30 am on Wednesday.
Police later said that the slain youth were members of the anti-talk faction of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) led by IK Songbijit and added that they have recovered one AK 46 rifle, one grenade and 15 rounds of live ammunition from the duo. The injured student was termed as a linkman of the outfit by the police.
The local people of Runikhata, however, termed it to be a ‘fake encounter’ staged by the police and Army and said that the slain youth as well as the injured youth were all students of local schools and that they have no links with the militant outfit
The agitating locals also clashed with the police on Wednesday in Runikhata over the incident forcing the police to resort to lathicharge and blank firing to disperse the crowd. The locals have also set on fire some motorcycles of the police station during the protest.
Although the Chirang Deputy Commissioner ordered a magisterial probe into the incident, the locals were not satisfied and demanded a high- level probe into the ‘fake encounter’.