One person was killed and several others were injured when police fired at a crowd protesting against the election to the Rabha Hasong Autonomous Council (RHAC) in Assam’s Goalpara district on Thursday.
The agitating people who had been protesting against the RHAC election scheduled for next month and also demanding exclusion of the non-Rabha inhabited villages from the RHAC blocked the NH 37 at Krishnai in the district.
Police said that they had resorted to lathi charge initially but later resorted to firing to control the situation. One person was killed during the police firing and several others including security forces personnel were also injured during the clash, police added.
The situation, however, went out of control after the police firing and agitators set on fire a passenger vehicle and destroyed several other vehicles plying on the NH 37 in Krishnai and adjoining areas.
Several pressure groups from non-Rabha communities had been organising agitation programmes including highway blockades in and around the district ever since the Assam Government decision to hold election to the RHAC earlier this month.
While there are about 779 villages in under the RHAC, spreading over Golapara district and southern side of Kamrup district, non-Rabha community organisations claim that at least 382 villages Rabhas are minority and that these villages should be excluded from the RHAC.