By IANS,
Guwahati : About 10 women protestors were injured in a police baton-charge Monday in Assam’s Dhubri district, gripped by tension after protestors, irate at failure to arrest assailants of a Durga Puja pandal decorator, clashed with police last week.
Though no violence has been reported since Saturday, the situation turned tense after some women protestors gathered at the Dhubri police station demanding release of some youths, picked up by police Sunday night for their alleged involvement in Wednesday’s clash.
The women also accused police of being biased against one community. As the protest turned violent, police carried out a baton charge to disperse the crowd, leading to about ten women protestors getting injured.
Additional Director General of Police A.P. Raut, who has been camping in Dhubri to oversee the situation, told IANS that the situation is under control now and improving gradually.
“Some women came today (Monday) and picketed the Dhubri police station demanding the release of eight youths whom the police picked up last night. As the situation turned violent, the police chased them away by kind of mild lathi charge. A few of them might have received minor injuries while being chased away,” Raut said.
“We have clamped the night curfew – from 5 p.m. to 5 a.m. – so that the miscreants cannot take advantage of the situation,” Raut said, adding that a close vigil has been maintained by forces.
The state government has sent two columns (approximately 200 personnel) of the army to control the situation, and the troops had carried out flag marches since Friday in the troubled areas.
Besides the army columns, six companies of central paramilitary forces and some battalions of the Rapid Action Force (RAF) also have been deployed in the district.