GUWAHATI, Aug 3 - All possible precautionary measures have been taken not only in the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) area but also in the vulnerable places all over the State to prevent miscreants from creating communal tension in the aftermath of the killing of Lafikul Islam Ahmed, president of the All Bodoland Minority Students� Union (ABMSU), said the Director General of Assam Police, Mukesh Sahay.
Talking to The Assam Tribune, Sahay, who is camping in Kokrajhar to monitor the situation and the investigation into the case, said, �Efforts are on to ensure that the investigation is in the right course. We feel the situation will become normal once all those involved in the crime are arrested.�
Replying to a question on the apprehension of communal tension in the BTC area in the aftermath of the killing of the ABMSU leader, Sahay admitted that such a possibility cannot be ruled out and that is why adequate precautionary measures have been taken, not just in the BTC area but in all vulnerable areas of the State. It may be mentioned here that the BTC area has a history of communal and ethnic tension and the last such major riot took place in 2012.
The DGP said that security reinforcements have been sent to the BTC area as well as other areas considered vulnerable, while, senior officers have fanned out to different parts of the State to keep a close watch on the situation.
�We have to be extra careful not only because of the ABMSU leader�s killing, but also because the Independence Day is approaching and all the active militant outfits try to make their presence felt in the run-up to August 15,� he added.
Sahay said that a meeting of all the stakeholders including Police, Army, Central forces and intelligence agencies was held yesterday to chalk out strategies to maintain peace all over the State and it was decided that the intelligence gathering mechanism would be strengthened further to ensure that no miscreant or militant can create trouble.
The DGP said that the monitoring of the situation and the investigation into the murder need to go side by side. Though the reason for the murder is yet to be ascertained, he said, �we are covering all possible angles, including involvement of cattle smugglers, as the ABMSU leader was reportedly opposing such activities, business rivalry and even political angle,� he said.
He revealed that two persons arrested in connection with the case were involved in cattle smuggling and two more have been picked up. The questioning of the persons arrested and picked up may lead to vital information, he said.
Sahay also admitted that the PSO attached to Ahmed was not with him when he was killed. When questioned, the PSO claimed that he had gone home because his wife was not well. The PSO also claimed that he had taken permission from Ahmed to go home. �Since Ahmed is dead we cannot verify whether the PSO had taken his permission and the antecedents of the PSO are also being checked,� he added.
He further revealed that from the bullets recovered from the place of occurrence, it seemed that the miscreants had used small arms for the murder and recovery of the weapons will be vital for proper investigation.
