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ABSU unit demands compensation

By Correspondent

BONGAIGAON, May 19 � The Bijni Anchalik unit of the All Bodo Students� Union (ABSU) staged a demonstration in front of the office of the SDO (Civil), Bijni subdivision, in Chirang district on Saturday, demanding compensation to the victims of the two separate firing incidents that took place in the Panbari area of the district on Friday. Two persons were killed in the second firing incident.

A team of security personnel which conducted an operation against militants in the Natunmati area near Panbari had allegedly fired at Dhajendra Boro (16), a student, at his residence �for not helping the team in tracing a militant.�

Dhajendra, who is undergoing treatment in a private hospital here, said that the security personnel had approached him when he was repairing a fence at his Damugaon residence in the Natunmati area under the Panbari Police Outpost and asked him about a militant who had apparently passed by his house. When Dhajendra expressed his ignorance about the movement of the militant, a security jawan shot at him. He was injured in the left ankle.

After the incident, the people of the village and those from the neighbouring areas thronged the Panbari Police Outpost to protest against the alleged atrocities by the security forces.

To control the mob, the security forces fired a few rounds of blank shots and in the firing, two persons, later identified as Bharat Boro (45) and Magwn Boro (35), died on the spot and 13 other protesters were injured in the lathicharge.

Bijni Sub-Divisional Police Officer Mahnish Misra said, �According to the Army, it was an accidental firing by a jawan in which the boy (Dhajendra) was injured.

Following the incident, the people without reporting the matter to me or other officials concerned, became violent and attacked security personnel and the police outpost. As a result, the security forces had to resort to firing.�

The ABSU leaders alleged that the security forces had fired at Dhajendra inside his house to establish an encounter with militants. Bullet marks on the walls of Dhajendra�s house testified to this.

The All Bodo Students� Union in a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner of the district demanded adequate compensation to the victims (Rs 12 lakh for the deceased and Rs 1 lakh for the injured) in the two firing incidents. They also demanded adequate security to the lives of the people and a halt to the killings and unwarranted harassment of innocent people in the name of counter-insurgency operations.

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