GUWAHATI:
A day after an unruly mob set fire to Batadrava police station in Central Assam’s Nagaon district over the custodial death of a jailed inmate, Assam Director General of Police (DGP) Bhaskarjyoti Mahanta, on May 22, said that it is a pre-planned and organised crime of fundamentalist groups.
“We are examining the movements of those people working for the Islamic fundamentalists’ organisations. Such organisations are trying to set up a new sleeper cell in the state as well as in the district by instigating some people,” the DGP said.
Claiming the presence of various criminals including drugs mafias, dacoits among the attackers, the DGP didn’t rule out the possibility of the attack being a pre-planned one to destroy the case diaries. The police also confirmed the presence of several notorious drugs mafias such as Allauddin and some other criminals among the attackers.
“Such fundamentalist-backed attacks on police personnel might take place at several places in the areas tonight,” he claimed.
Earlier on May 21, more than 2,000 people, who came from Salnabari area near Dhing, had set ablaze the Batadrava Police Station and several two-wheelers on May 21 afternoon.
“The entire incident is an organised, systematic pre-planned attack by Ancharul Islam’s group which is a branch of Al Qaeda. During the preliminary investigation, police had found its roots behind the incident,” Mahanta told reporters during his visit to Batadrava Police Station on Sunday, adding, “Such actions will not be tolerated at any point and strong action will be taken up against the perpetrators.”
The whole incident had started when the Batadrava police took into custody a fish trader by the name of Safiqul Islam for being drunk and disorderly.
“One Safiqul Islam (39) was brought to Batadrava Thana on May 20 at 9:30 pm after receiving a complaint of him being drunk. He was in fact lying on a public road before he was brought in. He was booked after a medical check-up. The next day he was released and handed over to his wife,” the DGP said.
“His wife even gave him some water/food. Later he complained of sickness and he was taken to two hospitals, one after another. Unfortunately, he was declared dead. We take this unfortunate death very seriously and have put the Batadrava Thana OC on suspension,” he said.
The top cop further said that if there is any foul play at the police’s end, “we mean to find that and punish the guilty according to law”.
Regarding the eviction drive, Mahanta said that during the attack on the police station, it was feared that the attackers might have stolen arms and ammunition from the police station and hence police conducted the eviction drive at the houses.
Apart from DGP Mahanta, Special DGP GP Singh, DIG of Central Assam Zone Satyaraj Hazarika visited Batadrava police station on Sunday morning.
The DGP directed the Nagaon superintendent of police to constitute a Special Investigative Team (SIT) to investigate the entire Batadrava incident. He instructed the district police head to enquire into the custodial death of Safikul Islam by an additional superintendent of police officer official from the neighbouring district like Morigaon, Hojai, Karbi Anglong districts.
Moreover, he ordered the SP to send the post-mortem report of Safikul Islam for forensic probe on Monday next so that an impartial investigation can be carried out in connection with the death of the youth.