At least seven people were killed as police resorted to firing twice in a gap of three hours in the Lower Assam town of Lakhipur in Goalpara district, first to disperse a 1,000-strong crowd that had blocked roads, and again when a bigger crowd tried to set the local police station afire in protest against a Government decision to set aside panchayat polls in areas falling under the Rabha Hasong Autonomous Council (RHAC).While three persons were killed in the first firing that took place around noon, four persons were killed when the police opened fire to disperse a mob that tried to attack policemen and set the local police station on fire. Official sources in Guwahati said the number of casualties was likely to go up.Meanwhile, the Army was called in on Wednesday in Lakhipur. “The Army has been called in and it staged a flag march to keep the situation under control,” an official spokesman said. The authorities have also imposed an indefinite curfew in the Lakhipur area from 5 pm on Wednesday. The situation, however, continued to be tense as some groups reportedly tried to give a communal colour by indulging in violence in the town during the day.“A mob of about 1,000 people initially blocked roads near the Lakhipur town bazar and refused to let panchayat election officials move to their respective polling booths, forcing us to initially resort to lathi-charge and then use tear-gas shells. But even as the crowd refused to budge and attacked the local police officer and set his vehicle on fire, the police was compelled to open fire,” Goalpara SP Abhijit Bora told The Indian Express over phone.Bora said while the police managed to disperse the crowd, a much bigger crowd started marching towards the Lakhipur police station a couple of hours later. “The crowd this time had more than 3,000 people, and they openly raised slogans making clear their intention of attacking the police station,” the SP said.“It was a well-organised mob with the people carrying lethal weapons, including daos (machetes) and spears and burning bamboo torches. The police tried to stop them, but the mob marched on, forcing us to open fire while they were just about 100 metres away from the police station,” Bora said. Two persons were killed in the second incident of police firing.The Goalpara SP said the mob, mostly people of migrant origin from the char (riverine islands on the Brahmaputra), also set on fire four houses which incidentally belonged to Bengali Hindu residents. “The mob also tried to incite communal hatred by raising objectionable slogans against other communities, including tribals,” the SP said.
