Bodoland encounter: Assam Govt orders enquiry to the deaths of two youth

KOKRAJHAR: The Assam government ordered an investigation into the police shooting of two alleged United Liberation of Bodoland (ULB) militants in Kokrajhar on September 18.

The development come a day after a 12-hour bandh to protest the death ground life to a halt in the four districts of the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR).

According to the order issued by the Assam government, the Divisional Commissioner of Lower Assam Jayant Narlikar has been asked to investigate the circumstances surrounding the murder of two suspected ULB militants in an encounter with police at Ultapani in Kokrajhar.

It is pertinent to mention that while Police have claimed that the two were cadres of ULB, the villagers and the militant group itself claimed that the youths were not their members.

Villagers called it a planned cold-blooded murder.

The deceased have been identified as–Jwngsar Musahary, a resident of Salguri of Patgaon, and Janak Kumar Brahma, from Parbatjhara under Kokrajhar district.

Narlikar was tasked to submit the report within 15 days.

ASO READ: Kokrajhar Police not trustworthy, they kill innocent people in name of encounter: Congress

The shooting of the two suspected militants sparked widespread demonstrations in the BTR, with the All Bodo Peoples (ABP) calling a 12-hour bandh on Monday, effectively shutting down normal activity in the region.

Several political and non-political organizations and personalities have criticized the killings, alleging that the encounter was staged and that the youths killed were innocent.

In the "interest of peace and calm" in the BTR, former Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) Chief and Bodoland Peoples' Front (BPF) Chief Hagrama Mohilary urged state Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to launch a high-level CBI enquiry into the encounter.

Mohilary also urged the ULB leadership to refrain from engaging in violent behavior in order to avoid the loss of lives and property.

"I beg to the UBL leadership to refrain from retaliatory operations or the placement of bombs, which could further worsen the situation in the Bodoland region," he added.

It may be noted that on Saturday, police claimed that two suspected militants from the ULB had been slain and their camp raided, with two firearms and explosives retrieved from the battleground.

Since the current Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, led by CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, took office on May 10 this year, Assam has seen a series of "encounters," with numerous alleged terrorists and criminals being shot dead or injured while reportedly attempting to run from detention.

The state police, according to the opposition, has become "trigger-happy."

The Chief Minister, on the other hand, said that Assam police have "complete operational liberty" to combat criminals "within the framework of the law."

In the last four-and-a-half months, police have shot and killed 26 suspects and injured 42 others while alleging they were attempting to flee from jail.

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