Assam: 12 killed in Panchayat poll violence

Guwahati, February 12, 2013: A police firing in Assam’s Goalpara district killed at least 12 people, including a woman, and several others were injured as violence erupted during Panchayat polls on Tuesday.

Principal Secretary Home G D Tripathy said that as polling began in the morning large groups of people attacked various voting centres in the district forcing the police to resort to firing to quell the mob.

A mob of 400 men and women armed with iron rods, axes, matchets and sticks attacked a polling station at Kathalmari school at Kahibari under Dhupdhora police station, police said.

According to Police when it fired in retaliation two men and a woman were killed on the spot.

In similar incidents three persons were killed at Palsar, and one each at Kachuela and Silopathar, the police said.

Goalpara has been witnessing violence as the panchayat poll is being opposed in the Rabha Hasong Autonomous District Council (RHADC) areas.

Krishnai police station officer-in-charge Hatem Ali and two police personnel were injured at Bekibul by the protestors who also attacked polling personnel during the day.

Following the violence, army was deployed in Krishnai police station area where indefinite curfew is on along the National Highway where there is no polling, Tripathy said.

Several other people were also injured in poll-related clashes in different parts of the district where five vehicles, including two each of police and polling personnel and a media house, were set ablaze, the police added.

At Rakkhaysin polling station miscreants attempted to throw petrol bombs but the voters severely beat them up, police said. Huge groups of armed men and women in RHADC areas were attacking police stations and polling personnel.

Miscreants attacked Boko Dekapara police station and also polling personnel before setting ablaze their vehicle driving away the polling personnel, the police said.

Lalmati lower primary school where a voting centre was set up along with Hahim post office were torched gutting eight ballot boxes, the police said adding the miscreants also destroyed several ballot papers there.

Ballot papers were set on fire also at Dorapar polling centre at Agia by miscreants, who also resorted to arson in many places, it said.

Disturbances were reported at Khulakhati area of Hajo, Sambhar and Tokorapar lower primary schools voting centres in RHADC areas after some ballot papers were found to be faulty, the police said.

In neighbouring Kamrup (Rural) district too large scale poll-related violence erupted and arson reported on the final phase of panchayat polls and 40 additional companies of security forces wre deployed in the RHADC areas falling in the twin districts.

Meanwhile, the Joint Action Committee comprising a number of Rabha and Hasong organisations has called a 'Janata Curfew' from 7 am yesterday till 7 pm today. People remained indoors, shops and markets kept their shutters down, while offices, educational institutions and banks were closed as the day was declared a holiday on account of polling, official sources said.

The JAC representing the Rabha ethnic community has resorted to widespread protests in Goalpara district opposing the holding of panchayat elections in the RHADC areas.

They are seeking complete withdrawal of panchayat poll from villages within the RHADC and instead hold the Council polls before the Panchayat hustings.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has said that nobody can stop polling as it is a democratic process. He also announced that Rs five lakh will be paid to the next of kin of each killed in the firing. Funds would be released from the government for repair of schools destroyed in the poll violence, he said.

Parliamentary Secretary(Home) Rana Goswami said in Guwahati that security measures were stepped up in the two districts, particularly in the violence-hit areas. "There is a conspiracy behind the violence", he said adding miscreants who were indulging in violence have been identified and stern action would be taken after polling is over.

The other two phases of the panchayat polls on January 30 and February 6 had, however, passed off peacefully.