DOOMDOOMA, April 11 - Eleven people were killed and over 20 others injured in a tragic incident that took place at Pengeree Police
Station in Tinsukia district today.
On April 6 midnight, some miscreants abducted one Suni Garh (55) and her daughter- in-law Lakhimoni Garh (18) from their residence at No. 2 Nalani village under Pengeree PS and later their bodies were found at a distance from their residence. Police subsequently arrested Deben Phukan and Kokheswar Phukan on April 7 for their involvement in this brutal murder and were sent to judicial custody.
On April 9, three other accused in this murder case, namely Ramesh Moran, Pabitra Moran and Gandhi Moran surrendered before police at Tinsukia.
Today, around 10,000 tea labourers from the nearby tea gardens equipped with machetes, axes, bows, arrows and sticks etc. came to Pengeree PS and demanded that the accused be handed over to them. They wanted to hang the accused publicly in lamp posts. At one stage the irate labourers attacked the police and damaged property inside the Police Station. They even attacked an ASP of Tinsukia district, besides an executive magistrate. In order to disperse the mob, police resorted to blank fire, following which a bullet hit a power cable, which fell on the crowd.
In this tragic incident, 11 people, six of them women, lost their lives. Over 20 others were injured, who were rushed to Tinsukia Civil Hospital and Assam Medical College Hospital, Dibrugarh.
It is reported that several protesters jumped into a roadside canal to protect themselves from the bullets, while the water of the canal was electrocuted due to falling of the live power cable.
Senior police and civil administrative officials, including the DC and SP of Tinsukia district rushed to the spot while the Army has been deployed to bring the situation under control. While the situation is still tense, curfew was imposed in the area.
Meanwhile, the deceased were yet to be identified till the time of filing this report.
