Simmering tension continued in Nagaland’s Dimapur town and in parts of Assam’s Karimganj district on Saturday even as the Governments in both the States alerted the police and security forces to pull out all stops to prevent any communal backlash over Thursday’s lynching of a rape accused. The rape accused, Syed Farid Khan of Assam’s Karimganj district was dragged out of jail and lynched by a mob in Dimapur.
The Nagaland Government on Saturday handed over Khan’s body to his family members at Khatkhati on Assam-Nagaland border, from where it was flown to Badarpur in Karimganj district in an Army helicopter.
Truckers in Assam, meanwhile, stopped plying their vehicles from Guwahati to Dimapur and other parts of Nagaland in protest against the incident. As many as 17 truckers’ organisations in the State said that the protest will continue until the victim’s family gets justice.
Tension has gripped Dimapur in Nagaland and Badarpur areas of Karimganj district in Assam after the incident. Nagaland Chief Minister TR Zeliang had on Friday suspended the DC, the SP and the Jail Superintendent for their failure in handling the situation. The CM also directed the entire district administration to ensure security to all non-locals engaged in trade and commerce, jobs or those residing for any other purpose. He has also instituted an enquiry panel to go into the details of the entire incident.
Finding a role of the social media in the brutal killing by the mob, Zeliang and Home Minister Y Patton issued a strong warning to those who have been trying to spread rumours and libelous comments in an attempt to stir up communal feeling and public unrest by using social networking sites.
Assuring all possible steps to ensure safety and security of people from Assam and other parts of the country, Zeliang also underscored that severe action will be taken against the guilty and any shortcomings or lapses on the part of the public servants will be dealt with seriously.
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, who had immediately taken up the matter with Zeliang, also directed the district administrations to ensure that there is no harassment to people from other States and prevent any possible backlash to the incident. Gogoi also asked the officials to ensure that the vehicles from Nagaland that pass through Assam should not be affected. He, however, blamed the Centre for the incident saying that the Central security forces were guarding the jail.
Gogoi has written to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to ensure that proper action was taken against those responsible for the lynching of the rape accused. He also urged Governor PB Acharya, who is also the Nagaland Governor, to take necessary action to ensure that the guilty were booked and punished.
Nagaland Home Commissioner Neihu C Thur said that the curfew is continuing in Dimapur. “The situation has improved but we have decided to continue the curfew. There have been adequate deployment of forces in and around the town to ensure that there is no backlash,” he said, adding all the districts have been asked to be on strict vigil to ensure that no non-Nagas residing in the State feels insecure.
He said that efforts are on to identify those involved in the killing so that they are brought to the book soon. Meanwhile, several truckers’ bodies gheraod the Nagaland House in Guwahati. Several other organisations like the All Minority Students’ Union (AMSU) also held a demonstration in different locations across the State, protesting the brutal killing of Khan.