GUWAHATI: National People’s Party, Assam state unit candidate for Kaliabor Lok Sabha constituency, Abdul Aziz escaped unhurt when his convoy was attacked by a group of miscreants at Geruwati under Samaguri legislative Assembly constituency in Nagaon district around 12 noon on Thursday.
Three supporters of Aziz, who is a former AGP MLA from Rupahihat constituency, were critically injured after a group comprising at least eight persons, pelted bricks and stones at the convoy.
Four vehicles used by the candidate in the poll campaign on Thursday were partially damaged.
A first information report (FIR) was lodged with Khatowal police station by Aziz, wherein it was alleged that a group of miscreants, suspected to be supporters of Congress, were involved in the incident.
“The miscreants used bricks and stone chips from a hardware shop in the area to attack our convoy. It is suspected that these were supporters of Congress and had even stocked lethal weapons in the shop. It was an attempt on my life and I fortunately escaped because I had security men along side,” Aziz mentioned in the FIR.
NPP Assam unit was launched here by party president, Conrad K Sangma on March 6. Apart from Kaliabor, the party has so far confirmed candidatures in Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Tezpur, Silchar and Barpeta.
Kaliabor Lok Sabha seat, which goes to the polls (first phase) on April 11, also has former chief minister, Tarun Gogoi’s son and sitting MP, Gaurav Gogoi and Asom Gana Parishad’s Moni Madhab Mahanta (AGP working president Keshab Mahanta’s brother) in the fray.
“We strongly condemn the incident. Such an attack on a party candidate and his supporters is can never be accepted in a healthy democracy. We are taking all precautions for our future campaigns and at the same time appeal to everyone, including our opponents, to maintain peace to ensure free and fair polls,” NPP, Assam state unit spokesperson, Mridul Borah told The Shillong Times on Thursday.
“The message that we also get from the incident is that despite being a new party, people are wary of our presence. We will also report the incident to the Election Commission,” he said.
It may be noted that a NPP worker was beaten to death in Arunachal Pradesh recently.
