‘My husband had surrendered, police didn’t let him speak’: Ghanakanta’s wife questions encounter

The wife of Ghanakanta Gogoi, who was killed in a police encounter in Assam's Naharkatia, has questioned the circumstances surrounding his death, alleging that police did not give him an opportunity to speak despite him being in custody.

Speaking to the media on November 5, Jonmoni, Gogoi's wife, questioned how a person in police custody could be killed in an encounter, particularly when he had allegedly surrendered before the police and was not attempting to escape.

"How can someone who is in police custody be killed in an encounter?" she asked, questioning the police action despite the availability of CCTV footage that could have helped investigators establish the sequence of events.

Jonmoni alleged that the police should have conducted a proper investigation and examined all available evidence, including CCTV footage, instead of resorting to an encounter.

She also claimed that her husband was not given an opportunity to present his side of the story.

"My husband was not running away. He had surrendered before the police. The police did not give him an opportunity to speak," she said.

Referring to the guidelines governing police encounters, she questioned why the police proceeded with the action despite the existence of established procedures.

Her remarks have brought renewed attention to the circumstances surrounding Gogoi's death, with his family raising questions over the police version and demanding accountability.

The allegations made by Gogoi's wife have not been independently verified.