Flags inscribed with 'IS NE' spark tension in Goalpara

A Correspondent

GOALPARA, May 2: Sensation prevailed in Goalpara district on Wednesday morning as news spread that six flags similar to notorious international terrorist group ISIS were found hoisted near the Kachari ghat (Old Goalpara district court) area. The flags were both in Arabic and English languages and ‘IS NE’ had been inscribed in them.

 Several people who went for morning walk noticed the flags and informed the police who immediately arrived at the scene and removed them.

 The area is just 20 metre away from the Goalpara town police outpost and at the bank of River Brahmaputra which connects to the various riverine villages or chars of Goalpara, Barpeta and Bongaigaon districts.

 A local youth who witnessed the incident said, “I saw the flags and doubted it to be a criminal work and informed the police. Several other people who had come for morning walk and other work also noticed the flags.”

 Meanwhile, Amitava Sinha, Superintendent of Police, told media persons, “An investigation is under way. However, at first look it seems to be a work of some anti-social element.”

 On the other hand, several organizations like AASU, AAMSU, Satra Mukti Sangram Samitee, Goria Moria Deshi Jatiya Parishad  and political parties like AGP and Congress have sharply reacted to the incident and appealed to people to maintain peace in the society.

 The secretary of Goalpara district committee of All Assam Students’ Union, Jitumoni Bhuyan demanded high-level inquiry into the incident. He questioned the responsibility of the police and asked how within such short distance from a police station the incident could have happened.

 Advocate Jiten Das, district president of Asom Gana Parishad, vehemently criticized the incident and remarked that ill-motived persons, in order to hamper the relationship between different communities, had done it.

Nani Das, veteran social worker and leftist leader, also termed it as a conspiracy to breach the religious harmony.