Date:13/09/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/09/13/stories/2007091354140700.htm

National

Protest rallies against death of ULFA cadre’s mother

Sushanta Talukdar

Guwahati: Thousands of people took out rallies in lower Assam’s Nalbari town and a ‘Black Day’ was observed in the State on Wednesday protesting the death of Sabitiri Rajbongshi, mother of ULFA militant Bhaskar, during a raid by the Assam police and the Central Reserve Police Force. The protesters demanded a judicial probe into the “killing” and strong punishment to the guilty.

Two held

Nalbari Deputy Commissioner (DC) N. Ahmed told The Hindu that the police on Tuesday arrested two surrendered ULFA (SULFA) boys under Section 302 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code in connection with the incident leading to death of Rajbongshi.

He said a magisterial probe was ordered and the panel would submit a report within a week.

Gogoi orders probe

Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi ordered a Commissioner-level probe into the incident. The Assam Human Rights Commission (AHRC) took cognisance of a complaint by the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) and asked the Nalbari DC to submit a report within a month.

The rally was jointly taken out by the AASU, the Manab Adhikar Sangram Samiti, the People’s Committee for Peace Initiative, the Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad and several other organisations.

The protesters marched to the Nalbari DC office and submitted a memorandum demanding a judicial probe.

The AASU alleged that the Gogoi government was unleashing a new form of terror on innocent people in the name of counter-insurgency operations.

Army’s action

In upper Assam, the Army ordered a Court of Inquiry to probe the night raid carried out by few soldiers of 268 Field Regiment at Tinthengia under the Khowang police station in Dibrugarh district late on Monday night.

A protest rally was taken out in Dibrugarh under the aegis of the Rastor Nirjatan Birodhi Aikya Manch, a conglomerate of 30 organisations, to protest the Army raid. Angry villagers held the jawans captive and let them go only after senior officials assured them that action would be taken against the guilty.