Protest against NRC update: 4 killed in firing at Barpeta
Correspondent
BARPETA, July 21 – Four persons were killed and more than fifty injured in a mob violence and subsequent police firing in Barpeta today.
According to the information available, the Barpeta district committee of All Assam Minority Students’ Union gheraoed the DC Office demanding cancellation of the pilot project of the ongoimg updation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC). They also demanded taking 1971 as the base year for updation of the pilot project and settlement of the D voters problem before completing the project.
Thousands of processionists approached the DC office through the Barpeta Howly road around 10am creating havoc all along the road. They set vehicles on fire, attacked commuters and reached the DC office just before 11am. As the mob reached the office campus they became more violent. Window panes of the office of the Joint Director of the Food and Civil supplies adjacent to the DC office establishments were broken and set on fire. A number of important files were damaged before the fires could be doused.
The processionists set on fire as many as seven motorbikes in the office campus, a car belonging to senior advocate Dharani Talukdar and substantially damaged as many as nine cars including one belonging to an Additional Deputy Commissioner.
They targeted police personnel on duty and pelted stones upon them in which at least 20 personnel to Assam Police and CRPF were injured.The injured police men include Superintendant of Police Barpeta, Deputy Superintendant of
Police and In Charge of Bapeta Police Station.
The police tried to control the situation by lathicharge and teargas. They also resorted to firing in the air. But all efforts failed and the mob became more aggressive. With no option left the force had to open fire in which three persons had to lose their lives.
More than fifty persons were wounded in the firing. Out of them nine were referred to the GMCH where one succumbed to his injuries. The condition of another is stated to be critical till the filing of this report.
Though one of the deceased has been identified as Motaleb Ali (30) of Kumullipara, the others are yet to be identified. The situation in the entire district is tense following the incident and police has intensified patrolling.
Allegations here are rife that police had completely failed in anticipating the intensity of the movement and lacked preparedness to check violence. SFI had strongly condemned the police action upon the agitators and has demanded a high level inquiry into the whole incident.
Meanwhile prohibitory orders under Section 144 have been imposed in the district.
Source: The Assam Tribune
