Guwahati: Assam Police on Wednesday resorted to lathi-charge and fired teargas shells to disperse an agitated mob that attacked and set ablaze some vehicles and hurled stones at the convoy carrying the five accused arrested in cultural icon Zubeen Garg's death case as they were being brought to Baksa District Jail.
Prohibitory orders have been imposed under Section 163 of BNSS in Mushalpur town and adjoining areas of the jail, while internet and mobile data services have been suspended in the entire Baksa district till further orders, District Commissioner Gautam Das said.
Several people, including police personnel, journalists and local residents were injured and glass panes of vehicles were smashed, a senior officer said. A large number of protesters gathered outside the prison in Mushalpur area, and as the convoy of vehicles carrying the accused for being lodged in the prison arrived, they started pelting the vehicles with stones, he said.
Some even demanded that the accused be handed over to the public to ensure "justice for Zubeen". Although the convoy managed to enter the jail premises, the protesters scuffled with the policemen deployed at the gates as they attempted to breach the cordon, the officer said.
Despite the requests of the policemen to the protesters to move back, they kept pressing forward, following which the law enforcers resorted to lathi-charge to control the situation, he said.
The situation, however, turned worse after a while, with the protesters setting ablaze some vehicles, including those belonging to the police department and television channels, with the law enforcers firing tear gas shells to bring the situation under control.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the incident at Baksa is "very sad and we are pained by it". "In a civilised state like Assam or our country, we must always have faith and trust in the court of law to ensure justice for anyone," Sarma told reporters in New Delhi.
Even after Mahatma Gandhi's death, Nathuram Godse was punished only after the court went through the due legal process, he said. "Whether it was Indira Gandhi or Rajiv Gandhi's killing, the guilty were punished only according to the law of the land," Sarma said.
Gaurav Gogoi blames Assam Govt, Himanta dig at Congress leaders
Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) President and Lok Sabha MP Gaurav Gogoi on Wednesday voiced strong concern over the "unprecedented and unfortunate" scenes that played out outside Baksa District Jail, urging people to uphold peace and calling out lapses in law enforcement.