From our Correspondent

KOKRAJHAR, May 29: Altogether 13 people, mostly police personnel including a scribe were injured, one of them critically during the 24-hour Kokrajhar district bandh call given by the All Bodoland Minority Students’ Union (ABMSU) at Kokrajhar. The seriously injured person is referred to GMCH.

The minority community which illegally occupied a plot of forest land in Bedlangmari area under Kokrajhar police station in the name of setting up a mosque alleged that the ex-BLT members removed the signboard erected in the plot of land at Bedlangmari. The ABMSU emotionally called a 24-hour Kokrajhar district bandh to protest the removal of signboard (In fact not removed). The bandh evoked no response at Kokrajhar town and all the markets, business establishments remained open and the vehicles plying on the road normally. The ABMSU activists gathered local people at Joypur near Kokrajhar town and tried to proceed to Kokrajhar town to make the bandh successful but the police prevented them at Joypur where clashes took place between the police the ABMSU supporters. The supporters of ABMSU pelted stones where Additional SPs (Security) of Kokrajhar Amarjyoti Choudhury and HK Nath got injured in the stone pelting. Two CRPF jawans and othe police personnel and a scribe were also injured. Since the situation turned to worse, the SP- Jitmol Doley immediately rushed to the spot and tried to control the situation. Till then the bandh supporters pelted stones which resorted the police to open blank fire in the air. Police fired several rounds in the air and shelling tear gas to disperse the mob.

On the other hand, the bandh supporters attacked two innocent persons coming towards Kokrajhar in a bike near Rainadabri under Kokrajhar police station. One of the person- Danesh Goyary of Bhetagaon, who is an employee of BTC Secretariat got serious injuries and referred to GMCH while his colleague is admitted at Kokrajhar RN Brahma Civil Hospital. The bike was also set ablaze. Other police personnel were also attacked in the same area who got serious injury on head is admitted at Kokrajhar RN Brahma Civil Hospital.

In an interview, the SP, Kokrajhar- Jitmol Doley said the allegation of ABMSU which has claimed the removal of sign board of the minority community in a plot of land was not true. He said that the sign board still exists but it leaned perhaps due to storm. He expressed grief that certain group of the people tried to take the matter in the communal line and it did not happen so but the clash took place with the police. He also said that no one was arrested formally but the persons who instigated the people to turn the situation boil would be arrested soon. He called upon the people to maintain peace.

Meanwhile, the president of Kokrajhar district BPPF- Rabiram Uzir expressed grief over the incident and asked the people to exercise restraint so that such incident and misunderstanding do not repeat.

The people of Kokrajhar did not respond the bandh as the plot of land is being occupied illegally. The vast forest land in Bedlangmari area is being grabbed by the minority community. The site of proposed Planetarium of BTC is also not fully safe and the adjoining areas have already been encroached.

On the other hand, the BTC Secretariat Employees’ Union has strongly condemned the attack on its staff-Danesh Goyary. The secretary of the union- Khobam Basumatary said Goyary was coming to his duty while the ABMSU supporters attacked him and seriously injured him. The union urged upon the district administration to take strong action against the miscreants who were involved in the attack.