2 Assam police officers suspended for lathi-charge on protesters demanding ST status

The police officers-in-charge of Golakganj and Gauripur police stations in Assam’s Dhubri district were suspended for allegedly thrashing protesters on Wednesday.

Speaking at a rally in Assam’s Udalguri on Thursday, chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, “Any police personnel found guilty of using force beyond what was required will face strict action. Accountability will not be compromised.”

A torchlight rally organised by the All Koch-Rajbongshi Students’ Union (AKRSU) near Golakganj Bazaar, demanding Scheduled Tribe (ST) status, was allegedly stopped by security forces.

The protesters accused the police and paramilitary personnel of halting the rally and eventually resorting to a lathi-charge, leaving several people injured.

Complaints were lodged against the district’s superintendent of police and two deputy superintendents of police.

The student body also called for a 12-hour bandh on Thursday demanding “strict action against the police officers involved in the lathi-charge on peaceful demonstrators.”

Meanwhile, chief minister Sarma ordered public health engineering minister Jayanta Malla Baruah to reach Dhubri and pacify the protestors. “I met the injured in hospital. They are stable. The incident occurred due to a misunderstanding,” Baruah said Wednesday.

Baruah added that senior police officers have been asked to conduct a probe and submit a report within five days.

The Koch-Rajbongshi community has long been demanding ST status and the creation of a separate Kamatapur state. Altogether six communities in Assam – Koch-Rajbongshi, Tai-Ahom, Chutia, Matak, Moran, and Adivasi (Tea Tribes) – are seeking ST status, which they say is crucial for cultural and socio-economic protection.

The unrest in Dhubri comes just days after members of the Moran community staged a protest in eastern Assam’s Margherita, demanding ST status and autonomy under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.