Tejesh Kumar
Bongaigaon, July 1: Police today arrested advocate Nazrul Islam from the Goalpara court campus in connection with yesterday’s protest against alleged harassment of D-voters in which one person was killed in police firing and several injured.

Islam was allegedly leading the protesters who were trying to block National Highway 37 at Kharboja village, about 9km from the district headquarters, against the alleged harassment of D-voters by border police and foreigners tribunals.

Islam was also arrested in February this year for assaulting a member of a foreigners tribunal in Goalpara and was released on bail recently.

Today, when he was coming out of the Goalpara chief judicial magistrate’s court to attend a hearing regarding the February assault case, police, who were waiting outside the court, apprehended him.

“We’ve had inputs regarding his whereabouts and based on the information we had officials stationed outside the court. Islam is accused of fomenting trouble,” Goalpara superintendent of police Amitava Sinha told The Telegraph this evening.

Following the clash yesterday, father of two Yaqub Ali, 23, a resident of Kumri, was killed in the firing. Ali’s last rites were performed at 7.30pm at his village yesterday after his body was released from Goalpara civil hospital following autopsy.

Two officials from the district administration were present during the last rites and assured the family that it will be given ex gratia.

According to Ali’s family members, he had no idea about the protest and was passing by when he got caught up in the scuffle between protesters and the police.

The Goalpara district unit of All Assam Minority Student’s Union (AAMSU) has called a 10-hour strike on Monday demanding compensation to the victim’s family and arrest of police personnel and officials involved in the firing, said Animul Hoque Choudhury, the district unit president of the union.

Leader of the Opposition Debabrata Saikia, during a news conference at Rajiv Bhawan in Guwahati this afternoon, demanded a judicial inquiry into the incident by a sitting judge of Gauhati High Court.

“There is a guideline for the police to stop any protest. When lathicharge fails to contain the protest, they should first use teargas, then water cannon, then rubber bullets and firing is considered as the last resort. We suspect a conspiracy as the police started firing straight away. That is why we demand a judicial inquiry by a sitting judge into the incident,” Saikia said.

Jania Congress legislator Abdul Khaleque further demanded suspension of the deputy commissioner and superintendent of police of Goalpara.

“The protest proved that people are tired of atrocities committed by this government on minorities,” Saikia said.

WITH ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY AVISHEK SENGUPTA

News Source: The Telegraph