Guwahati: Twenty-seven days after the president of All Bodoland Minority Students’ Union (ABMSU), Lafikul Islam was gunned down by unidentified assailant in Kokrajhar town in Bodoland Territorial Autonomous District Council (BTC) of Assam in the afternoon of August 1 last, the CBI has been entrusted to probe into the sensational murder case.
A source in the Chief Minister’s office informed that following the Government of Assam’s request, Central Government has handed over the investigation of Lafikul Islam murder case to the CBI. Union Minister of State (i/c) for DONER, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pension etc., Dr Jitendra Singh informed this to Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal over phone on Monday.
The broad daylight murder of the influential minority students’ leader in the BTC areas sparked widespread protests in the BTC area from various minority, non-Bodo and even Bodo organisations who demanded a CBI probe into the murder case sloppy investigation by Assam Police especially the Kokrajhar district police.
Lafikul Islam was gunned down in broad daylight by unidentified miscreants at Titaguri market in Kokrajhar district on August 1, 2017. Government of Assam has already constituted a Special Investigative Team (SIT) headed by Inspector General of Assam Police Anurag Tankha to inquire into the brutal murder and provided ex-gratia relief of Rs 5 lakhs to the next of kin of the slain ABMSU leader.
However, various opposition political parties including the Congress and All Assam Minority Students Union (AAMSU) have been demanding a CBI probe into the murder apprehending that it was a political murder given the growing clout of the slain students’ leader in the BTC areas of Assam. The Independent MP from Kokrajhar Lok Sabha constituency Naba Kumar Sarania too has demanded a CBI investigation stating that it was a political murder which is not new in BTC areas of Assam.
Assam police so far have arrested only two persons in connection with the murder case including one accused of involving cattle smuggling to Bangladesh.