Murder accused shot in Jorhat during police probe; 5th encounter in state this year

Jorhat, April 24:  In yet another instance of a police encounter in Assam, a murder accused in the recent Bedanga Bhushan Baruah case was shot in the leg by Jorhat police late on Wednesday night while allegedly attempting to escape custody.

The accused, Abdul Nur alias Riju, is among ten arrested in connection with the fatal assault at a Bihu function in Chandan Nagar on April 20.

“Out of the 10 individuals arrested in the case, eight have already been sent to judicial custody, while two remain in police custody—one of whom is Abdul Nur. On Wednesday night, he was taken to the Cinnamara Tea Estate area for investigation when he tried to flee. The police shot him in the leg,” said Jorhat Superintendent of Police Shwetank Mishra.

Nur is currently undergoing treatment at Jorhat Medical College and Hospital.

The murder took place after a group of unruly, allegedly intoxicated youth caused a disturbance at the cultural event.

Baruah, known to locals as Dhan, intervened in an attempt to restore order but was severely beaten by a group of 10–15 assailants. He was rushed to Jorhat Mission Hospital, where he succumbed to head injuries on April 23.

All ten accused were apprehended by police, and several are believed to have links with drug-related offences.

“In 2023, 48 cases related to narcotics were registered in Jorhat, and that number rose to 72 in 2024. More than 100 individuals connected with drug trafficking have already been sent to jail,” added Mishra.

This is the fifth reported police encounter in Assam this year. The previous one occurred on February 5 in Jorabat, Guwahati, where a vehicle theft suspect, Dibyajyoti Saikia, was similarly shot in the leg while trying to flee.

Earlier, on January 21, police opened fire on an alleged serial offender near Garbhanga Hills in Guwahati.

Two other incidents were reported within a 24-hour span in Guwahati and Sribhumi, involving suspects shot in the leg during attempted escapes.

The rise in such incidents in the state has comes under legal scrutiny. In October last year, the Supreme Court termed the 171 police encounters recorded in Assam between May 2021 and August 2022 as “very serious”.

A bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan had sought comprehensive information on the status of investigations, while hearing a plea challenging a Gauhati High Court order that had earlier dismissed a PIL on the issue.