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Bolbola violence: Magisterial probe instituted

By Correspondent

GOALPARA, Oct 9 � A magisterial inquiry has been instituted by the district administration today to inquire into the law-and-order situation created by a group of flood-affected people who were expressing their resentment by blocking the NH 37 following supply of synthetic sarees at Bolbola around 12.45 pm on Wednesday.

The hearing will take place at the Balijana Dev. Block Office at Agia on October 16 from 11 am onwards.

It seems to have started from a simple argument on the supply of synthetic sarees under GR relief by the district administration to the flood victims in Bolbola area, but it snowballed in to a serious law-and-order problem when some of the flood-affected people who gathered there to collect the relief materials expressed their resentment and blocked the NH 37 demanding cotton sarees instead, for which the police had to resorted to mild lathicharge to disperse the crowd, who also pelted stones in retaliation after many persuasive attempts to lift the road blockade failed around 12.40 on Wednesday.

According to official sources, the crowd gradually swelled and got agitated and despite an appeal by the Deputy Commissioner to lift the road blockade, along with a message for replacing the synthetic sarees with cotton ones. The crowd started to pelt stones damaging a number of vehicles stranded on both sides of the highway.

It may be added here that altogether 16 persons have arrested in this respect and cases registered against them.

Some officials looking after relief distribution said that despite distribution of a large amount of food and other relief items among the flood-affected people by various government, NGOs and social organizations, discontentment was evident among some section of the flood victims. Already 21,318.41 quintals of rice, 3,923.81 quintal dal, 1,177.59 quintal salt, 11,6682.28 litres of mustard oil, 92.05 quintal chira, 16.75 quintal gur, 4,320 packets of biscuits, 7000 numbers of bread, 40,266 tarpoulines, 3100 bags of cattle feed, baby food to around 7000 persons (approx.), 10,000 sarees and mosquito nets and other items have so far been distributed by the district administration to the flood victims which according to some officials is by no means a small amount.

Meanwhile, Superintendent of Police Nitul Gogoi told this correspondent that senior police officials rushed to the spot at Bolbola only when other government officials failed to pacify the crowd. He denied police excesses or involvement of any of his officers in any kind of abuse as captured on camera and shown in some of the local news channels.

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