Goalpara: One person was killed when police opened fire at demonstrators who attacked them with stones and tried to block national highway 37 in Assam’s Goalpara district to protest the ‘D’ (doubtful) voter cases being heard in the district, a senior police officer said.
A group of about 400 people tried to block NH 37 at Kharbokam. When police stopped them from blocking the highway, the demonstrators pelted stones at police injuring one policeman, Superintendent of Police, Amitava Sinha said.
The police first resorted to lathicharge and then opened fire in the air in which one person was injured, the SP said.
The injured person identified as Yaqub Ali was rushed to Government’s Goalpara Civil Hospital where he was declared brought dead, the SP said, adding, the district Deputy Commissioner has ordered a magisterial enquiry into the incident.
Sinha said that the situation was under control.
The Protesters were carrying banners and placards shouting slogans for halting of the ‘D'(doubtful) voter cases being currently heard in the district.
Goalpara West MLA Abdur Rashid Mandal told reporters that the protesters were allegedly led by lawyer Nazrul Islam.
Islam was today released from jail. He was in jail for for assaulting Foreigner’s Tribunal Member Ajay Kumar Phukan in Goalpara on February nine.
—PTI