Police probes getting nowhere in high-profile cases

A Correspondent

Golaghat, Feb 21: Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, in charge of the Home department throughout for 15 years, has long boasted of having one of the best police forces in the country in Assam Police. But when it comes to cracking high profile cases, it seems the force has miles to go to match its counterparts in other states.

It has been more than one and half months since armed miscreants killed one of the most valiant officers of Assam Police - Binod Phansgo - while he was chasing car thieves on NH 30 in Golaghat district. Investigations into the killing have not made much headway.

Golaghat police say they are still awaiting the forensic test report of the bullet found from Phangso's body.  What the police authority has done so far in the case is that it has transferred controversial police officer Chungajan police station OC Bidyut Bikash Baruah against whom the finger of suspicion was raised, and later also transferred Dhansiri SDPO Dilip  Baruah who was probing the case.

Locals organizations suspect a politician-mafia-police nexus to be behind Phangso's murder, known to be an upright and honest officer who had brought under control law and order in his area of jurisdiction to a large extent.

Golaghat Additiol SP Numal Mahatta said a reminder has been sent to the forensic laboratory to expedite the test reports of the case.

This is the sorry state of affairs within the State police machinery.

It has been eight months since the sensatiol murder of Prab Mahanta's wife and two daughters at their residence at Banfulgar in Guwahati. One alleged suspect was arrested, but the police is not only struggling to solve the case, it is yet to find out the "motive" behind the murder.

ACS officer Manikut Pathak's murderers are still at large. Pathak was found dead at his residence in September, 2014. Nobody knows what headway the police has made in the case. One of the suspects arrested in the case - Purnima -maged to escape from the lock-up of the All Women Police Station under mysterious circumstances.