GUWAHATI, March 30 � Police attempts to bring the irate mob of Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) activists under control at Dhemaji today resulted in injury to several of the Samiti activists and onlookers. The KMSS activists who came to the Deputy Commissioner�s (DC�s) court gate in a procession wanted to hand over a memorandum on the issues of mega dams, PDS anomalies and NREGA implementation.
KMSS secretary Akhil Gogoi alleged that the police actions of using batons, bursting tear gas shells, firing in the air and spraying rubber bullets were unprovoked, while the Dhemaji district administration sources claimed that the police actions were provoked by the vandalism of the Samiti activists.
Gogoi alleged that the KMSS on the occasion of conclusion of its foot march in Dhemaji district took out processions from different points to the DC�s court today and the processionists reached the court gate around 11-30 am. Due permission for taking out the processions was obtained from the district administration and an appointment with the DC was also fixed in advance.
But when the processionists reached the court gate, they were informed that the DC was not available to receive their memorandum and a magistrate approached them instead. They were told that the DC was busy at an important meeting and it would not be possible for him to receive the memorandum.
Gogoi said that the processionists braving the heavy rain waited for the DC for over one hour and at one moment, they became restive. The district administration then took recourse to lathi charge, tear gas shell bursting, blank fire and spraying of rubber bullets. This resulted in injury to many KMSS activists and even to two persons who came to the Civil Hospital for treatment, Gogoi said.
But the district administration sources claimed that the KMSS activists reached the court gate about one hour after the time at which their appointment was fixed with the DC. They started demanding the presence of the DC within 20 minutes. But this demand could not be met, as, the DC was away for an important DRDA meeting.
The KMSS activists took offense at this and they damaged the court gate, some vehicles and injured an ADC, an Additional SP, the OC of Dhemaji PS and some other people by pelting stones etc. The district administration then had to use force to bring the irate mob under control, said the sources.
The police action provoked blockade of the Dhemaji-Silapathar Road for about half an hour by members of the Dhemaji district units of the AASU, TMPK, Sonowal Kachari Students� Union, Tai Ahom Yuva Parishad and the People�s Movement for Subansiri and Brahmaputra Valley, besides those of the KMSS. The Dhemaji district unit of the AASU has called for wearing black badges and hoisting of black flags at public places tomorrow in protest against today�s police action.
Akhil Gogoi described the incident as the result of the pro-mega dam policies of the Assam Government and made an appeal to the people of the State to rise in protest against police atrocities on the KMSS activists at Dhemaji today.
He said that the KMSS memorandum had an appeal to the State Government to go for a serious policy intervention in matters of the mega dams. The 12 lakh trucks of boulder extracted from the Dhemaji and Lakhimpur rivers for the Bogibeel Bridge over the Brahmaputra turned one-fourth of the Dhemaji paddy fields into deserts.
If the proposed 168 mega dams are allowed to come up in Arunachal Pradesh, this is feared to ruin the farmers of Dhemaji and Lakhimpur districts and Sadiya subdivision of the State. For, the Lower Demwe Hydel Project on the Lohit alone would require 32 lakh trucks of boulder, said Gogoi.
