Dibrugarh, May 21 : Public fury against the army for allegedly sheltering a Sulfa cadre accused of abducting and molesting a minor girl in Upper Assam’s Tinsukia district, today forced the police to take quick action in arresting the surrendered Ulfa.
The girl, belonging to the tea community, and her two friends were returning from school yesterday afternoon when they were allegedly accosted by a four-member Sulfa gang, led by Indrajit Moran.
Quoting the girl, police said Moran tried to drag her into his vehicle. In the melee, the other two girls left their bicyles and fled to their homes, around a km away. The girl also managed to escape.
As the girls told their guardians about the incident and the word spread, furious villagers came out to protest.
Hundreds of them, mostly from the tea community, today assembled at Philobari tinali under Doomdooma police station and destroyed two roadside dhabas as they vented their anger against the incident and the army for allegedly protecting Moran.
The gang allegedly shares a cordial relation with army personnel at Philobari camp where a company of 8 Garhwal Rifles is currently lodged. Sources said the gang worked as informers against Ulfa.
As news of the unrest spread, a huge police contingent, led by additional superintendent of police (headquarters) Mukul Saikia, rushed to the spot. Deputy superintendent of police (headquarters) Numal Mahatoo, Doomdooma circle inspector Prafulla Borgohain, officer-in-charge of Doomdooma police station Moni Mohan Konch and magistrate Bipul Kumar Das were part of the team.
The police arrested Moran from an undisclosed location and registered a case (number 188/09) against him at Doomdooma police station under sections 341/354/366(A)/511 and 34 of the IPC.
The protesters later held a meeting, presided over by resident Lakhinder Tanti, at Arunoday LP School.
Representatives of 13 organisations like the All Assam Students Union, Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad, Gorkha Students Union and the Takam Missing Porin Keban were also present at the meeting.
“The gathering was of the view that the local army camp had given shelter to the Sulfa cadres. They were very angry about it,” the DSP said.
The secretary of the local AASU unit, Rajesh Sahu, said, “The army is here to protect the law abiding citizens, not to offend them. It is really a matter of shock that the army had given shelter to the criminals.”
The commanding officer of 8 Garhwal Rifles, Col. Rajan Sherawat, who rushed to Philobari from Rupai (a distance of 18km), said the army had not been protecting the criminals.
“Rather, we caught Indrajit Moran and handed him over to the police. There is no question of giving shelter to such offenders,” he said over phone.
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