GUWAHATI, July 26: Six indigenous groups staged a 24-hour oil blockade on Monday in protest against the police action on protesters in Tinsukia district’s Baghjan area last Saturday.
The blockade disrupted Oil India Limited’s drilling and production activities in Upper Assam’s Tinsukia district.
Several persons, who were part of a group of villagers agitating against the non-payment of “full” compensation to families of the Baghjan oil well blowout, were injured during lathicharge and rubber bullet firing by the police.
According to police sources, non-lethal force had to be resorted to evict the people who had blocked a strategic link road leading to the Baghajan oil field area of OIL for the past one week.
Four policemen were also injured in stone pelting by the protesters.
“We have staged the oil blockade along with five other organisations to protest against the unprovoked lathicharge and firing by police on people who were staging a peaceful protest,” All Moran Students’ Union general secretary, Munin Duarah told reporters on Monday.“The protest took place because OIL is yet to release the entire compensation amount to the affected families of the Baghjan blowout. We also demand unconditional release of the arrested persons and proper treatment of those injured,” Duarah said.
