Nagaon, Feb 12 : Two thousand villagers attacked a police station in Karbi Anglong and injured two constables today after a peace march to protest the killing of a teenaged girl in IRB firing yesterday turned violent.The villagers, led by Karbi Students’ Association (KSA) and the local Congress unit, had planned a peace procession to demand a high-level inquiry into the IRB attack that killed 17-year-old Parboti Terangpi and injured five others in Phanglokpet village.
The march began as scheduled after the villagers gathered at Bokoliahat-based Karbi Youth club.
But by the time they reached Bokoliahat police station around 11.30am, the pent-up anger spilled over.
Villagers went berserk, hurling stones at the policemen, injuring constables Gunendra Pathak and Ramesh Kramsa.
“She was a simple and honest little girl. I am here to seek justice for her. Tell me what was her fault? Why she was killed?” cried Parboti’s father, Hemari Teron, as he marched to the police station.
Parboti, an only child and a Class X student at Phonglokpet High English School, led a group to a temporary camp of the 22nd IRB last night after a few of their personnel allegedly beat up local youths during a religious festival.
The IRB havildar in charge of the camp, Nuruddin Ahmed, opened fire on the protesters, killing Parboti and injuring five others, including four women and a four-year-old boy.
Karbi Anglong police arrested Ahmed later that night.
The district superintendent of police, K.K. Sarma, said all the five injured, Kaseng Terangpi, Phulmoti Hansepi, Honsira Terangpi and Dalimi Terangpi and Babu Teron, have been shifted to the Dimapur-based army hospital for better medical care.
He said the district administration would give adequate compensation to the next of kin of the one killed and also to the injured.
“We promised the agitators that those found responsible for the incident will be brought to book and punished,” he said.
Last night, however, he had said that according to preliminary reports, the incident was triggered by a “misunderstanding”.
The villagers today also submitted a memorandum to Karbi Anglong deputy commissioner S.N. Sahu demanding an inquiry and punishment for the culprits.
The Karbi Students’ Association today said if the government failed to deliver justice, it would intensify the agitation.
“We will continue our agitation till the victims’ families get justice,” said the president of the students’ association, Sarthe Kramsa.
The commanding officer of the IRB, Prasanta Sagar Changmai, who was away when the incident occurred last evening, today said he would look into the matter once he returned to his base.
“I will make a thorough inquiry into the incident separately and submit my report to the additional director-general of police, Sibabrata Kakoti, within the next 24 hours,” he said on his way to Karbi Anglong from Dhemaji.
He confirmed that it had been reported to him that Ahmed was in an inebriated condition.
“Such indiscipline cannot be and will not be tolerated. If (the charge is) true, then such officials must be punished according to the law,” Changmai said.
The commanding officer, along with a team of Karbi Anglong police, will visit Bokoliahat tomorrow to take stock of the situation.
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