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| Padma Hazarika. A file picture |
Guwahati, Jan 19 : A little over a year after “unidentified” gunmen attacked AGP legislator Padma Hazarika near his constituency in Sonitpur’s Sootea before a panchayat election, the panel probing the assault has summoned his arch rival from the Congress, Praneswar Basumatary, for questioning.
The Justice P.G. Agarwal Commission of inquiry, instituted in June last year, six months after the attack in December 2007, will quiz Basumatary at the circuit house here on Thursday.
Basumatary was among the three named by Hazarika for their alleged involvement in the attack.
The AGP legislator was returning from a friend’s house at Hazarimol, about a kilometre from his house at Sootea, when gunmen fired on him.
He suffered eight bullet wounds and the Santro he was driving was set afire.
“I have received a notice from the commission to appear before it on January 22 and I am also aware about my name being linked to the attack,” Basumatary said.
Sources associated with the probe said Basumatary and Hazarika were bitter political rivals and the Sootea seat has been changing hands between the two. While Basumatary defeated Hazarika in 2001 Assembly elections, the latter turned the tables on him in 2006.
“It will be interesting to see what Basumatary has to say during his deposition,” a source said.
Till date, Hazarika and two others, including Benoy Saikia, in whose house Hazarika took shelter after escaping the murderous attack that evening, have already appeared before the commission.
The panel has held four sittings at Jamuguri, Tezpur, Sootea and Tezpur since August.
Though its six-month term ended on November 5, it has been given extension by the government till submission of its report.
Hazarika, however, was dismissive about the “questioning”.
“I am not expecting much from the probe, though Justice Agarwal has assured me that he would wrap it up soon,” the two-time Sootea MLA said.
The move to give “unlimited” time to the probe panel has fuelled speculations about the government’s intention to allow the probe to drag.
“If the government is not keen to get the probe wrapped up at the earliest, one can hardly blame the commission, which any way was given to handle two probes almost simultaneously — the Lakhipur firing incident in Goalpara district as well as the Sootea ambush,” a source said.
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