ITANAGAR, Dec 11 - Ahead of the scheduled rural and civic polls in Arunachal Pradesh, a mob today torched several government offices in the remote border town of Vijaynagar in Changlang district.
�Armed with daos (machetes), lathis (batons), bows and arrows, around 400 people led by the Yobin Students� Union, burnt down the Vijaynagar Extra Assistant Commissioner�s office, the Post Office and the SB office. They also ransacked the Vijayanagar Police Station around 8.30 am today,� Public Relations Officer of Arunachal Pradesh Police Rohit Rajbeer Singh stated in a release.
The protesters, who raised slogans like �Hamari mange puri karo� (fulfil our demands), also partially damaged the civil helipad before proceeding to Gandhigram, a settlement adjacent to Vijaynagar.
They demanded cancellation of voting rights extended to ex-Assam Rifles settlers for the ensuing panchayat polls and shifting them out of Vijaynagar area within a short time.
�The situation is tense but under control,� Singh, who is also the SP (Crime) attached to the Police Headquarters here, said. There is, however, no report of any casualty, he added.
Around 30 police personnel led by the SP and the Deputy SP of Changlang are closely monitoring the situation on the spot. Additional forces are also being rushed to Vijaynagar for maintaining law and order, he stated.
Moreover, DIGP (Tirap-Changlang-Longding) Kime Kaming also rushed to Vijayanagar in a chopper. IGP (Law and Order) Chukhu Apa, SP (SB) John Pada and Changlang SP Mihin Gambo are also on their way to Vijaynagar.
Senior officers will camp there till the situation returns to normalcy, the PRO said.
It may be recalled that the State Election Commission had kept the panchayat polls at Vijaynagar in abeyance following protests by the All Arunachal Pradesh Students� Union and the Yobin Students� Union.
