GUWAHATI, June 29 � The Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) today categorically accused the State government of violating the instructions given by the Prime Minister on use of non-lethal weapons to control mobs.
It needs to be mentioned here that on August 26 last year at a conference of police chiefs, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had said that there was a need to revisit standard operating procedures and crowd control measures to tackle public agitations with non-lethal, yet effective and more focused measures. The Prime Minister had also asked the Union Home Minister to set up a task force to come up with recommendations in two three months in this regard.
"Keeping in view the Barpeta incident and the address by the Prime Minister, one is bound to question the Chief Minister wheter the State government received any guidelines from the Union Home Ministry after two/ three months of the Prime Minister's address?, former Chief Minister and senior AGP leader Prafulla Kumar Mahanta said.
Addressing media persons here, Mahanta said that the State police did not learn a lesson from the Beltola and Barpeta incidents in handling demonstrators. "In both these incidents, the State police had failed miserably and their failure to learn was evident from the way the police dealt with agitators on June 22 which left three persons dead," Mahanta said.
On the other hand, Mahanta described the turnout of events on June 22 as a conspiracy against the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) and asserted that there was a need for early settlement of the issues of the indigenous people.
"So many questions are rising in the mind now. Why the fire brigade, which is just 200 metres from the place where public property was being burnt by the so called agitators on June 22, didn't come immediately and prevent the loss of property and human life?� Mahanta questioned adding that footage of those involved in arson showed that they were all Congress members.
Mahanta said that the State government is bent on killing the general public with bullets and its high command in New Delhi was intent on killing the common man economically by repeatedly hiking the price of fuel including that of kerosene and diesel.
