The law and order situation in Assam has taken an ugly turn. Investigation is yet to reveal the deeper causes of unrest. At least two people were killed and 10 injured when the police opened fire on a mob protesting against the death of a cowherd in lower Assam’s Goalpara district. Curfew has been imposed in the area. The volume of protest was excessive and so was the severity of police reaction. The mob had attacked the police and tried to burn alive a man riding a motorcycle in the area. Firing of tear gas failed and the police opened fire. The Deputy Commissioner of Police and the Superintendent of Police were injured. The man set on fire remains unidentified but is still alive. He does not seem to have been involved in the ruckus. There is a possibility of the violence turning communal. The All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) has condemned police firing. On the same day, one person died and another suffered bullet injuries in a scuffle in Kokrajhar.
Goalpara had witnessed clashes between Rabba tribals and migrant Muslims over the holding of Panchayat elections. At least 20 persons had been killed. 13 of them in police firing. True, the cowherd was a Muslim. The man who was set on fire may or may not have been a Muslim. Assam has a swelling Muslim population and instigation from across the border sometimes makes them violent. At the same time, they have reason to be unhappy about their treatment by the majority community. Such tension should be calmed down by the secular government. Police firing can only aggravate it.
