Assam PHE team attacked by border mob

GUWAHATI: A possible mob lynching incident was averted after a 16-member team from the Assam public health engineering (PHE) department was confronted and assaulted by a group of villagers at Malang Hohua near Boko on the Assam-Meghalaya border on Saturday evening.
The PHE team led by chief engineer, Saumya Kumar Barua had gone to the village, about 10km from Boko town in Kamrup district, to inspect the water quality of a scheme that incidentally catered to the residents of the area.
“We were returning from the site and it was around 4.30pm when an irate mob numbering around 200, mainly women, intercepted and attacked us physically despite being told that we had gone there for an official survey of the water scheme. However, they later allowed us to leave after we made them understand but held the headman of the village captive for a few hours before releasing him. Subsequently, we lodged an FIR at Boko police station against the mob,” Barua told The Shillong Times on Sunday.
The group, according to reports, comprised people from various communities.
“Apparently, there could have been a misunderstanding as people in the border areas are concerned when people from outside their villages visit the area,” he said.
There is a waterfall, Hahohua in the village and the PHE scheme distributes water from a reservoir through pipes via gravitational flow.
The officials had gone to check the efficacy of the water filtration system and the quality of water which generally becomes muddy during the monsoon season.
“Also, there is a proposal from the government of India regarding supply of water with the help of energy generated by solar panels in remote villages which are devoid of electricity. So we had gone to assess whether such technology could be applied there,” Barua said.
According to reports, a government water supply scheme in Boko is scheduled to be inaugurated by Assam chief minister, Sarbananda Sonowal this month.
Of late, mob fury, generally sparked by a section, have led to fatal incidents in the state.
Exactly three months back, two youths from Guwahati were beaten to death by a mob of about 150 persons at Dokmoka in Karbi Anglong district. About 48 persons involved in the incident have been arrested so far with their trials under way in a a court in Nagaon district.