The Congress and the AIUDF on Monday sought a probe by a serving Gauhati High Court judge into the circumstances leading to the burning down of a police station in central Assam’s Nagaon district following a custody death and the demolition drive carried out in a nearby area from where most of the accused in the arson case hailed.
The Nagaon district administration on Sunday demolished the houses of five persons in minority-dominated Chalnabori, a day after the Batadraba police station was burnt down by those protesting the alleged custody death of Safiqul Islam, 39, a fish trader.
The house of Islam and four of his relatives were razed to the ground, sources said.
The administration has not directly linked the demolition drive to the attack on the police station but a police officer said the demolition was carried out against encroachers and that most of the people involved in the arson were from Chalnabori, 4km from the police station that was torched.
The police have arrested six persons till Monday, including two women, in the arson case besides ordering a probe by a special investigation team. Additional superintendent of police of neighbouring Karbi Anglong district will probe the custody death. The police have also suspended the officer in-charge of Batadraba police station and benched 10 other cops.
After visiting the affected area on Monday, Assam PCC working president Rana Goswami told The Telegraph that “three offences” had been committed — two by the police (custody death and demolition) and one by the public (burning down the police station).
“We strongly condemn the custody death and the burning down of the police station. Custody death has become a trend, which should stop. While protest in democracy is allowed, burning down public property is not allowed and should be dealt with strongly. The administration should take strong action against those involved in both the cases,” Goswami said.
He added: “ A day after the arson, they carried out the demolition. If they were encroachers why didn’t the administration take action against them earlier? The administration can carry out demolition but according to existing laws. I was told by a couple of local residents that the affected people had valid land pattas.”
“I have told them to get the land documents and take legal recourse. Now the demolition appears to be a step in reaction to the arson case. It is like the Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh model of dispensing punishment to the alleged offenders. Therefore, we want a thorough probe into all the developments by a sitting high court judge so that the truth is out,” Goswami said.
AIUDF general secretary Champak Kalita, who was also part of a party team that took a stock-taking trip to Batadraba, expressed concern at the turn of events.
“We condemn both the custody death and the burning down of the police station. Both are unacceptable. We are also equally concerned about the demolition drive that followed. Today the administration is doing it without following rules, tomorrow the public will carry out demolition citing the example of the administration. This will lead to chaos. We, therefore, appeal to Gauhati High Court to take suo motu cognisance of the demolition drive,” he said.
According to him, those affected in the demolition drive have land pattas. “Such actions are being taken in UP and MP against offenders and accused, especially those belonging to the minorities. It is sending a wrong message to the society and is worrisome. A person is an accused, not convicted or guilty.”
APCC working president Goswami said the police probing the jihadi link of the accused reflected intelligence failure.
“Both the police and public are getting aggressive as is reflected in the arson case. The police now suspect jihadi link... after the thana was burnt down... Educated youth are going to the jungle to join the banned Ulfa (I)… then there is the jihadi angle... It reflects complete failure of police intelligence. It is also government’s failure,’ Goswami said.
