Assam orders probe into Barpeta violence

GUWAHATI - The Assam government Thursday ordered a high-level probe into Wednesday’s violence in Barpeta town in which four people were killed and 70 wounded, even as opposition parties demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi over the incident.

“An enquiry has been ordered to find out how the incident took place, besides investigating possibilities of a third force involved in triggering the violence,” Gogoi told IANS.

Police Wednesday opened fire on a 5,000-strong mob of protesters led by the All Assam Minority Students Union (AAMSU) in the western Assam town of Barpeta after the crowd turned violent attacking shops and private vehicles.

The AAMSU was demanding cancellation of the updating process of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) undertaken in Barpeta as a pilot project by the central government in Assam.

A 12-hour general strike called by the AAMSU Thursday to protest the police firing evoked mixed response in Assam with only minority dominated pockets observing the shutdown.

“We have announced compensation of Rs.300,000 each to the next of kin of those killed in the incident, besides free treatment to the injured,” the chief minister said.

“Efforts were on to restore calm in the area with adequate security measures taken to prevent any backlash.”

Meanwhile, the opposition Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and the Asom United Democratic Front (AUDF), blamed the state government for failing to control the situation.

“The chief minister should take moral responsibility and resign. We believe the state government is responsible for the violence,” senior BJP leader and MP from Guwahati, Bijoya Chakravarty, said.

“The Congress government has failed to protect the lives of innocent civilians, besides miserably failing to defuse the situation,” AGP leader Hiten Goswami said.

As part of the NRC updating project, citizens have been asked to attach some documents as proof of their Indian citizenship with the standard government form. These documents include the list of NRC 1951, electoral roll of 1966 and that of 1971.

The purpose of NRC is to identify and enlist Indian citizens in the state.

“For the time we have suspended the project, but not stopped. Let the situation calm down and then we shall decide,” the chief minister said.

At least four senior ministers were camping in Barpeta to oversee the security situation, besides taking measures to ensure that there is no outbreak of communal clashes in the area.

“The community leaders were being requested to appeal to the public for maintaining peace and calm,” senior minister Bhumidhar Barman said.