Guwahati: At least two persons were killed and over 15 injured including many policemen when police opened fire on a mob of protestors at the outskirt of Golaghat town in eastern Assam on Wednesday afternoon. About 16 policemen were also injured in attack by the mob. Unofficial
sources put the death toll at three.
Assam Police ADG (Law and Order), A P Raut informed the mob comprising about 1000 people armed with spears and machetes was menacingly approaching to storm Golaghat town in protest against Assam over government’s failure to protect villagers along violence-hit Assam-Nagaland border areas from armed Naga raiders. At least 16 policemen were also injured in the mob attack.
Curfew was clamped in Golaghat town and neighbouring Rangajan area following the incident while additional forces were deployed in the town. The mob was coming from Rangajan area where police came down heavily on protestors on Tuesday.
The senior police official informed that that at least two persons were killed and 15 injured when police opened fire on the mob at around 3.30pm.
He said the police resorted to firing as the mob attacked the police personnel at Arengapar area at the outskirt of the town. The mob had overpowered several police pickets on its way from Rangajan to the town. Seven of the seriously injured persons were rushed to Guwahati Medical College Hospital.
The incident occurred a few hours after Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi accused the BJP-led Central government of being not serious towards the flare up that occurred along the disputed Assam-Nagaland boundary in Golaghat district.
Earlier on Wednesday protestors burnt down vehicles including two laden truck bearing Nagaland registrations, set fire to a CRPF vehicles , beat up two police officials – Naba Kuma Deka and Arun Sharma — in different parts of Golaghat district during the district-wide bandh called by Assam Tea Tribes Students Union (ATTSU).
Krishak Mukti Sangram Samity (KMSS) agitators stormed state Assembly complex in Guwahati defying security barricades in protest against the government’s failure to protect the people of the state living along the inter-state boundary with Nagaland. The KMSS then submitted a memorandum to the Speaker of the Assembly demanding his intervention in the raging issue. The Speaker had come out of his office to meet the KMSS agitators.