GUWAHATI: At least one person was killed and 14 others injured in police firing on a protest by Non-Rabha Coordination Committee that turned violent in Krishnai in western Assam’s Goalpara district on Thursday.
The non-Rabhas have been demanding exclusion of their villages from Assam’s Rabha Hasong Autonomous Council areas, election for which is scheduled later this month.
The protestors torched a passenger bus in Krishnai during the protest on Thursday morning. They also blocked the national highway in Krishnai.
As the situation threatened to spin out of control, police first resorted to lathi-charge and then fired rubber bullets to disperse the mob. Police also detained some of the protestors.
The RHAC polls are scheduled in three phases from November 13 next. Various non-Rabha organizations have already taken up agitational programmes demanding exclusion of non-Rabha villages from the RHAC areas.
Meanwhile, curfew was relaxed on Thursday in the two police station areas, including the sadar area, of Assam’s Baksa district. The curfew was clamped on Wednesday afternoon following death of one person, injury to several others and damage of houses and shops during a bandh called by non-Bodo organizations.
Curfew that was clamped in Simla and Mushalpur (sadar) police station areas was relaxed up to
2100 hours on Thursday following review of the law and order situation by top officials.
However, curfew will remain imposed in the areas between 2100 hours to 0600 hours on Friday and decision to further relax it will be taken later, police said.
An additional CRPF company has been deployed in the district to augment security measures.
Five persons have also been arrested in connection with Wednesday’s violence.
The Trouble had erupted during a 12-hour lower Assam bandh called by non-Bodo organizations against alleged police atrocities on their supporters during a demonstration in Guwahati a couple of days back and demanding exclusion of non-Bodo villages from Bodoland Territorial Autonomous Districts (BTAD) area.