Guwahati: Assam Police said Sunday that they found had “found mischievous activity” in raids they conducted at the houses of those allegedly suspected of burning down a police station in Nagaon district — a development that comes amid allegations that the district administration had razed down houses in connection with the incident.
Assam Police said at a press conference Sunday that district officials had searched the houses of those who had allegedly been involved in setting a police station on fire at Assam’s Nagaon. The “arson” was triggered by the alleged custodial death of Safiqul Islam, a fish trader from Salonabori village who had been brought to Batadrava police station Friday night “after receiving a complaint of him being drunk”, according to the police.
Director General of Police Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta, who addressed a press conference Sunday, said police had searched the houses of those suspected in the arson case in Nagaon district and had “found mischievous activity”.
“When we searched some of the houses, we found out that they (suspects in the arson case) had been up to some mischievous activity. While initially we couldn’t check properly, we checked again when we got the news that they might perpetrate violence again tonight,” Mahanta said. “Hence we made arrangements. We brought the force and we went but couldn’t check properly. We suspect that they may have taken something from the police station.”
According to Mahanta, 21 people have been identified in the arson case — of whom 18 have been taken into custody. A special investigation team headed by the Additional Superintendent of Police Police have denied the allegation that Islam died in custody. In a statement posted on Facebook, Mahanta said that Islam had been brought in after he was found “lying on a public road”.
“The next day he was released and handed over to his wife. His wife even gave him some water/food,” Mahanta wrote in the statement. “Later he complained of sickness and he was taken to two hospitals. Unfortunately he was declared dead. If there is any foul play at our end, we mean to find that and publish the guilty according to law. No two ways about it,” Mahanta said.
According to news reports, seven houses in the Salnabari area of Nagaon were razed on the direction of district officials.
ThePrint tried to get in touch with Nagaon Superintendent of Police Leena Doley and Deputy Commissioner Nisarg Hivare about the bulldozing, but calls went unanswered. This story will be updated once they respond.
Meanwhile, the Congress, the main opposition in the state, has criticised the decision to bulldoze the houses without any intimation.
Bhupen Kumar Borah, president of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee, said he condemned the attack on the police station and said the guilty should be punished.
“Police should act according to the law but they’ve begun eviction without any notice. We don’t even know if these people are on government land or on their own land. But a prior notice should’ve been given.”
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A ‘custodial death’ and arson
A mob of people from Salnabari village had allegedly set fire to a part of Batadrava Police Station Saturday afternoon. A judicial probe has been ordered into the death of the Safikul Islam, according to reports.
Additional Superintendent of Police (Security) Nirupam Hazarika, the investigating officer in the arson case, told ThePrint: “More than 200 people came to the police station, gheraoed it, pelted stones on the police station, and thereafter set fire on the police station. The Officer-in-Charge was busy in a crime review meeting at the headquarters and so there were fewer policemen”.
The officer-in-charge of the Batadrava station has been suspended, according to a statement by DGP.
Borah told ThePrint that police were unprepared for what happens when someone “dies in custody”.
“It is very unfortunate that a person died in police custody, it was most certainly carelessness. Police could not predict what happens immediately after a person dies in custody,” Bhupen Kumar Borah, president of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee, said.
(Edited by Uttara Ramaswamy)
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