Assam: Situation Normal in Kokrajhar; Hagrama Visits Relief Camps

The violent uprising in Assam’s Kokrajhar district under the Bodoland Territorial Area Districts (BTAD) region has subsided with the impactful intervention of the security forces and district administration. Political as well as community leaders played their part in ensuring further unrest did not occur, even in the vulnerable areas.

According to reports on Thursday, Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) chief Hagrama Mohilary visited several relief camps housing individuals displaced in the clashes. He was joined by MLA Lawrence Islary, EM Derhasat Basumatary, EM Prakash Mushahary and MCLA Nandalal Magar.

Additionally, officials of the district administration are also reaching out to the people affected by the incident and engaging in talks to understand their problems and ensure all help is made available.

What Happened?

A mob attack on a group of people in the Kokrajhar district's Karigaon area left one person dead and four others seriously injured late on Monday night. The mob torched a car, leading to a youth identified as Sikhna Bismit being burned alive while three others escaped with injuries. Retaliation from the other side led to several houses being burnt down and many injuries being reported. The Kokrajhar police detained 18 suspects for questioning in the aftermath.

Notably, security forces in large numbers, deployed in the wake of the violent clashes between Bodo and Santhal communities, conducted flag marches on Tuesday evening, which continued till Wednesday as the simmering tensions were doused.

The district administration, in view of a possible law and order situation arising, imposed Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) on Tuesday. Internet services were halted in the region earlier, with Assam Police’s IGP (Law and Order) Akhilesh Singh telling reporters that full restoration will only happen “after the situation is completely back to normal.”

He further said, “Kokrajhar has returned to normalcy. No new reports of violence have surfaced. The police are looking into the involvement of Maoists in the incident.”

Also Read: Kokrajhar Normal, Authorities Say; Community Leaders Urge For Peace