Assam| Barama public clashes with authorities in violent showdown

Guwahati, February 3, 2019:

A situation of violence erupted at Barama town in Assam’s Baksa district today.

Many people gherao’d the Barama police station at Digheli. The agitated protestors hurled stones at the police station. Their demand? The apprehension of a criminal named Sapter Ali. After the police station was gherao’d, authorities retaliated with a ‘lathi charge’ against protestors and all hell broke loose. Three persons were arrested in the scuffle that broke out among the authorities and protestors.

The seeds for this conflict were sown on Friday morning when a person named Roshan Ali was attacked by Sapter Ali with a pointed weapon. After this incident, Roshan Ali’s family lodged an FIR at the police station against Sapter. After this, Sapter Ali’s wife lodged an allegation of rape against Roshan at the Barama police station.

For lack of diligence on the part of authorities, the people of Digheli gherao’d the police station and started pelting stones and matters soon went out of hand. Although the situation has quieted down, three of the protestors, Faruk Ali, Anwar Hussain and Zalir Ali, have been arrested.