Guwahati: The opposition parties on Sunday lashed out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Assam government after a former student leader, alleged by the law enforcers to be a drug peddler, was injured in police firing in Nagaon district.
Demanding immediate suspension of the police officers involved in the incident, Sibsagar MLA Akhil Gogoi said the state is witnessing a “worse situation than secret killings”.
“We demand that along with the Nagaon SP, all the involved police officials should be arrested for trying to kill an innocent youth,” he added, PTI reported.
All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) chief advisor Samujjal Kumar Bhattacharjya condemned the incident and demanded a judicial inquiry into the same.
“The state government is creating an atmosphere of ‘open killings’. We strongly warn it to stop such barbaric acts,” Bhattacharjya said.
“During his meetings with SPs and other police officials, does the Chief Minister give directives to them to shoot innocent people?” he asked.
Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Ripun Bora also condemned the incident and slammed the BJP government in Assam.
“Police jungle raaj in Assam. I strongly condemn the police firing on former GS Kirti Kamal Bora of Nagaon College. This is a clear result of CM @himantabiswa's provocative statements regarding police firing. SP @nagaonpolice should be suspended at the earliest!” he tweeted.
The police claimed former Nagaon College general secretary Kirti Kamal Bora was selling drugs and he was shot in the leg after he attacked the law enforcers on Saturday.
The AASU, however, alleged that he had protested to drunk policemen beating up a youth, which irked them.
Bora’s mother and some students later staged a demonstration in front of the Nagaon Police Station demanding a judicial inquiry and action against the police personnel involved in the firing incident.
They were asked by the senior officers to submit a memorandum in this regard instead of blocking the main gate.
The Assam Police post the controversy said that the government has been requested to institute a Commissioner-level inquiry into the incident, adding the guilty personnel will be taken to task if any lapse is found.
“Police personnel involved in the shooting incident at Kachalukhua, Nagaon have been sent to Police Reserve with immediate effect. We have requested the Govt to institute a Commissioner level inquiry into the incident. If any lapse is found, guilty personnel will be taken to task,” the Assam Police tweeted.