At least two civilians were killed and several others injured in Assam’s Goalpara district on Monday after police and security forces opened fire at a mob, which gathered to protest abduction and subsequent killing of a villager.
Although situation is stated to be under control now, tension still prevailed in Rakyasini area in the district, where the incident took place, forcing the district administration to impose indefinite curfew in and around the violence-affected area.
Narrating the incident, State Home Secretary GD Tripathy said that the villagers went uncontrollable after recovery of a body from the area on Monday morning. “One Taher Ali had been missing since last evening and his body was recovered from a forested area in Rakyasini. Police went there after being informed but the locals started pelting stones at the police party,” he said.
“The local people also damaged some vehicles of the police and security forces. Although the police had lathi-charged and fired rubber bullets, it failed to deter the mob. Finally, the police were forced to fire and in the process, two persons were killed on the spot and several others were also injured. Some policemen were also injured,” Tripathy said.
District Superintendent of Police SP Saikia said that the irate mob had also tried to set ablaze one motorcyclist who happened to pass by the area.
He said that some of the seriously injured persons were shifted to the Guwahati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) and the conditions of two of them are stated to be serious.
Goalpara, located about 130 kms west of Guwahati, had witnessed severe violence in February this year when the Government tried to hold the panchayat polls in the district, killing over 20 civilians in police firing as well as in group clash.
Although the Government wanted to hold panchayat polls in the area, the district falls under the Rabha Hasong Autonomous Council (RHAC), and the local Rabha community had opposed the panchayat polls demanding that the election to the RHAC must be held first.
The Assam Government had signed the Rabha Accord in 1995 and formed an ad hoc committee to run the RHAC. There had been, however, no election to the Council since 1995 leading to the widespread protests among the Rabhas.