Gogoi condemns incident, calls up TR Zeliang

BY OUR STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI, March 6: Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi “highly condemned” the lynching of a youth by a mob yesterday in galand’s Dimapur town even as the incident sparked tensions between the two states. Protest against the lynching of the rape accused was witnessed at some places.

In a statement here today, Chief Minister Gogoi termed the act as ‘barbaric, heinous and inhuman’. “The manner in which the youth was dragged out of police custody and killed brutally by a mob on the streets is highly condemble,” said the Chief Minister adding that no one could take law unto their hands and stern action must be taken against those involved in the heinous crime.

At the same time, the Chief Minister pointed out that the crime committed by the youth is equally condemble but law should have been allowed to take its own recourse.

The Chief Minister said that the incident has been taken up in right earnest both at the Chief Ministerial and Chief Secretary levels.

Later, galand Chief Minister TR Zeliang assured Gogoi that necessary action would be taken against the perpetrators who broke out the alleged rapist from Dimapur Central Jail and lynched him to death.

In a telephonic conversation, Zeliang told CM Gogoi that a probe into the incident has already been initiated. He further assured a thorough investigation into the matter and anyone found guilty would be punished accordingly. Zeliang also assured that if there were lapses on part of the officials, then necessary steps would be taken against them too.

AASU advisor Sammujjal Bhattacharyya condemned both the rape and lynching incidents. “The chief ministers of the two states should meet and the Centre should monitor the situation. Both states should be alert so that no third force can take advantage in such a situation,” he said, adding that AASU leaderships had already spoken to ga Students Federation leaders.

Condemning the lynching of the rape accused, Assam Pradesh Congress Committee president Anjan Dutta said Governor PB Acharya, “who had been quite active in Assam, should act in that State as well”. “He should perform his duties properly in that State as well,” he said.

The APCC has given a memorandum to Acharya today, seeking his intervention into the matter and a CBI inquiry.

AGP president Atul Bora said Assamese are being harassed by gas every now and then “which is a cause of concern”. “The state governments are being mute spectators for which some forces are always active. During yesterday’s incident, the local administration had collapsed totally,” he said.