Assam lynching: 16 arrested; protest march turns violent

Guwahati: Sixteen people have been arrested in connection with the lynching of two men in Karbi Anglong district of Assam, director general of police Kuladhar Saikia said on Sunday even as a protest march in Guwahati against the incident turned violent, forcing police to use force.

The police said five people have been arrested for hate posts on social media.

A magisterial inquiry has been ordered to probe allegations of police laxity over the lynching on Friday night, following reports that a “policeman” was seen video recording the incident.

A protest march called by students and civil rights activists in Guwahati against the gruesome lynching incident of Karbi Anglong turned violent on Sunday forcing the police to resort to lathicharge to quell the stone-pelters.

City police commissioner Hiren Nath said that they had allowed peaceful gathering of people who had started gathering since Sunday afternoon without any prior permission of the administration.

“We allowed them to organize the peaceful protest as gruesome killing of Karbi Anglong has hurt the people emotionally. Till 6.30 pm it was peaceful, but in between some miscreants joined the gathering and started pelting bottle and other utensils at the police force in which at least six police personnel were injured,” said Mr Nath, adding that the police was forced to lathicharge as miscreants tried to provoke the crowd for violence.

He said that even after the prevalence of Section 144 of CrPC prohibiting any gathering in the city area, the administration had allowed protesters to gather to pay tribute to those killed.

Asserting that majority of protesters were peacefully moving towards Commerce College, he said that some miscreants tried to take advantage of the situation to create trouble.

He also claimed that situation was under control as protesters have started returning back to their home .

The police said that few protesters, including a girl was injured in the police lathicharge.

Bogged down by hate messages circulated on social media after the gruesome lynching incident, Assam director general of police Kuladhar Saikia on Sunday said that the police has arrested 16 people in connection with the lynching of two Guwahati-based youth — Nilutpal Das and Abhijit Nath — by a group of villagers on suspicion of being child lifters on Friday night.