JORHAT, Sept 15 � Twenty-two AASU picketers were injured severely after they were beaten up by a group of armed Naga policemen at 11-30 am today while they were blocking the NH-39 at Thoramukh in protest against the Government�s failure in repairing the roads, mending the Public Health Centres and supplying the drinking water in the Pholongoni and Thoramukh areas in Golaghat district.
Another 60 activists of the organization also received minor injuries in the hands of the irate Naga police. When contacted, Manuar Hussain, AASU, Member of the Central Executive Committee told this correspondent that they submitted a memorandum to the Golaghat DC on September 6 giving a deadline of September 12 to take necessary action for the development of those areas. But the district administration did not pay attention to it. As a result, according to their schedule the AASU, Pholongoni unit carried out a road blocked programme from 10 am today. While the blocked was going on three buses carrying armed Naga police arrived there and began quarreling with the picketers. They began to attack the picketers and opened fire in the air with their firearms. The picketers fled from the spot to save their lives and the Naga police went away without any obstruction.
The severely-wounded AASU activists were admitted to the Kushal Konwar Civil Hospital, Golaghat. Later, two of them were referred to the Assam Medical College and Hospital, Dibrugarh for better treatment. Golaghat district unit of AASU demanded immediate punishment of those Naga police involved in today�s incident within 24 hours. They are going to stage a protest programme in front of the DC office, Golaghat tomorrow demanding the immediate arrest of the Naga miscreants, Hussain stated.
He also alleged that taking full advantage of the inactivity and indifference of the Assam Government the Naga police have been doing atrocities to the people inside Assam�s land time to time. AASU would conduct vigorous protest programmes if the Government of Assam does not take immediate steps to arrest those guilty Naga police personals, he said.
