GUWAHATI: Several persons including young women were injured when Assam Police resorted to cane charge on a large group of protestors in busy Chandmari area in the city on Sunday evening even as Section 144 CrPC has been clamped in all the four police districts in Guwahati with immediate effect.
The protestors gathered to voice their anguish against the lynching of two city youths- Nilotpol Das and Abhijit Nath – at Panjuri near Dokmoka in Karbi Anglong on Friday night. Police resisted the protestors who have blocked the busy evening traffic on the road, from taking out a march to Raj Bhavan.
A senior police official said that police were forced to resort to cane charge after a section of protestors hurled stones and water bottles at the policemen. Six policemen were injured in the incident and were hospitalized, city police commissioner Hiren Nath said.
Meanwhile, protest is raging all over the state against the lynching of the youths and the failure of police in Karbi Anglong to prevent the tragedy has been widely condemned.
Assam police have mounted vigil on the social media and entrusted an Additional Director General (ADG) level officer to monitor the operation so that rumour mongering aimed at creating disturbances in the state could be prevented.
The two youths who were lynched, were victims of rumour mongering in social media that gangs of child lifters were on the prowl in the state.
The Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, in a message to the general public has said any section or individual found indulging in rumour mongering that could hamper law and order would be dealt with firmly.
While cautioning the public not to fall prey to such rumours, he also urged them to alert the police if any such activity come to their notice.