Staff Reporter
Guwahati: Police have discovered that some perpetrators, posing as fans of Zubeen, took advantage of the situation in Baksa to foment trouble. A WhatsApp group was formed to pass messages in real time to incite violence. Many of those involved have been identified, nine of them arrested, and the others are also likely to land in the net of the police soon.
Ujjal Pratim Baruah, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Baksa, said, "The situation is now normal. The additional police personnel sent here have been posted in different places. They're carrying out their duties properly. We're taking the investigation very seriously; teams have been formed, and evidence is being collected. Until now, nine have been arrested and 40-50 perpetrators identified. They will all land in jail soon. They have been identified one by one; many are absconding, but how long will they abscond? Real fans of Zubeen needn't worry."
"Many posing as Zubeen's fans tried to take advantage of the situation, but they weren't successful. We have found that many habitual offenders, like bike lifters and cattle thieves, are also involved. We were surprised to find that a group was formed on WhatsApp aiming to create trouble. The movement of the convoy carrying the accused in the Zubeen case was monitored in real time. They got around 3 hours' time to plan. Messages were sent on WhatsApp, also messages from a person who is an admin of the group. He sent messages to throw projectiles by catapult. When we traced the location, we found he was not present at the spot but was in Bengaluru. This person has been identified. An atmosphere was created on social media which is really of concern. We need to be alert. Around 40 police personnel were injured; many needed stitches," he added.
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