After Himanta Sarma Became Assam CM, 66 Accused Killed, 158 Injured In Police Custody, Assembly Told

Speaking in the Assam Assembly, AIUDF MLA Aminul Islam claimed that the government was carrying out fake encounters.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma

Source : Twitter/@himantabiswa

The Assam Assembly was informed on Monday that 66 accused were killed and 158 others injured in police custody after Himanta Biswa Sarma became the chief minister of the northeastern state in May 2021, PTI reported.

In a written response to a question from AIUDF MLA Ashraful Hussain, Sarma stated that between May 10, 2021, and February 28, 2023, 35 accused were killed and 12 others were injured in gunfights with the police. The BJP leader further said that police shooting resulted in 26 deaths and 146 injuries, reported news agency PTI.

He said, "In addition to these, five accused were killed in an accident when they tried to flee from police custody."

Aminul Islam, an AIUDF MLA, during the debate on the Motion of Thanks on the governor's address, questioned why the police force has become "so inefficient" that every time an accused flees, they are shot dead.

"The government is carrying out fake encounters. The cases of Kenaram Basumatary and Kirti Kamal Bora prove that fake encounters are going on in Assam. The governor should know this," PTI quoted Islam as saying.

A CID probe into the death of a person, suspected to be a dacoit, in a police encounter on February 24 in Assam's Udalguri district affirmed that it was a case of "mistaken identity".

The investigation revealed that the deceased was not the dacoit Kenaram Boro alias Kenaram Basumatary, but rather a man named Dimbeswar Muchahary, who according to his family was a "small-time farmer" but police described him as a "hardened criminal".

On January 22, 2022, student activist Kirti Kamal Bora, who was allegedly involved in drug trafficking, was injured when police opened fire. Opposition parties and social organisations cited the event as evidence of "police raj" in Assam.

Paban Kumar Borthakur, former additional chief secretary, headed a one-man commission that found the police officers responsible for the firing were at fault and that Bora was not in possession of any narcotics at the time of the incident.

(With inputs from PTI)