From Our Correspondent
GUWAHATI: Former Assam Chief Minister and veteran Congress leader Tarun Gogoi on Friday while condemning the dastardly killing of five people at Kherbari village at under Dhola in Tinsukia district has demanded immediate arrest and exemplary punishment for the perpetrators of the crime.
Talking to the media here Gogoi alleged that the law and order scenario in the State under the rule of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had deteriorated and accused the government headed by Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal of lacking the promptness in respect of providing justice to victims of violence and heinous crimes.
“The government has also failed to crack the Reboti Phukan (ULFA mediator) missing case. Even the government failed to recover his body if he was murdered,” Gogoi also said.
Condemning pro-talk ULFA leader Mrinal Hazarika and BJP’s Hojai MLA Shiladitya Dev for their recent provocative statements on the NRC issue and the Citizenship Bill issue, Gogoi further adding that such inflammatory and provocative statements might led to more such gory and horrific incidents of killings.
The former State Chief Minister also questioned the efficiency of the intelligence department and asked
“Did they (intelligence department) have any inputs? If they had inputs, did they inform the government and did the government take those intelligence inputs seriously?” he questioned.
Gogoi wondered how come not a single minister from the state government had arrived at the massacre site at Kherbari at Dhola till the time of his addressing the media. He further said, ‘how can one be assured that this government would provide security?’
Meanwhile, Assam police (Panbazar police station in Guwahati) on Friday arrested the pro-talk ULFA leader Mrinal Hazarika who on October 24 last made provocative statement against the Bengali-speaking people of the State during a meeting in Guwahati.
The DGP of state police Kuladhar Saikia on Friday morning rushed to Kherbari at Dhola by helicopter to supervise the operation and investigation following Thursday night’s massacre of five innocent people.