By Wali Laskar
Guwahati, Assam : According local sources more than 2o people were killed on Saturday after a rally of Adivasi Students Union (ASU) turned violent here. And about 200 people have been injured in the incident. According to State Principal Secretary (Home) Subhas Das, 60 of the injured were hospitalised.
Indefinite curfew has been imposed in parts of Guwahati and army has been deployed.
ASU members demanding the Scheduled Tribe status after holding a meeting at Beltola, tried to march towards the State Assembly at Dispur in Guwahati. On being stopped by the police, the demonstrators turned violent and attacked local people, shops, vehicles and pedestrians. Someone of the demonstrators snatched a baby from a mother’s lap and threw it in the drain. They even had beaten up an MLA. Thousands of students, armed with bows and arrows, destroyed private property and set several vehicles on fire. They even chased terrified and running people into the houses of local people and attacked women.
There was not adequate security arrangement and only seven CRPF personnel were posted here. They could not control the violent mob and quell the violence and did nothing towards this end.
The locals furious at this violent attack, also clashed with the students resulting in several casualties and injuries from both sides, officials said. According to eyewitnesses, the area from Dispur to Bashista was turned into “battleground”.
Once locals started chasing the demonstrators hundreds of people joined them and the area became gory. Locals even attacked a magistrate and injured him for his late coming. People who look like these tribal in physical features found in the area were also not spared.
After about 2/2.30 hours of such barbaric and wild fight police came. Army was deployed and curfew imposed in the area.
Yesterday no newspersons were allowed to get near to the troubled areas.