Cops pelted with stones in Assam village while preventing gathering in mosque

At least five people including four security personnel were injured in stone pelting when they tried to prevent a religious gathering at a village in Assam’s Lakhimpur district, police said on Friday (May 1).

The incident occurred on Thursday night when a police team, led by Naoboicha police outpost in-charge Biswajit Nath, went to the Dakkhin Pandhowa village after getting information about people gathering at a mosque to offer namaz.

“The police got the information from the village head about the gathering,” an officer told PTI.

The police team reached there and found 12 people, including the imam, inside the mosque.

They requested the imam and others not to gather, and asked them to follow the rules on social distancing, the officer said.

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The team closed a small market that was operating next to the mosque before entering the complex, he said.

“When the team was about to leave the mosque complex, heavy stone pelting started. This caught our team completely in an off-guard situation,” the officer said.

Four personnel and the village head were injured. The police vehicle was also damaged, and the windscreen and side windows were broken.

Those injured are Nath, Assam Police constable Karuna Buzarbaruah, CISF personnel Bhumichar Narzary and Saroj Yadav, and village head Abdul Jalil Fareshi.

They were immediately sent to a hospital for treatment. Their injuries are not serious, the police said.

Senior officials visited the place, which is around 30 km from the district headquarters, late on Thursday night and made announcements in loudspeakers asking people to stay indoors. Heavy police deployment has been made in the village.

An FIR has been registered at the Lakhimpur police station against 12 people, including the imam of the mosque, and investigation is underway.

When contacted, Lakhimpur Superintendent of Police Rajveer told PTI: “At a time when the entire state is proactively following lockdown norms, such an incident is unwanted and we strongly condemn it. We will take strict actions against the culprits.”

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Police said a few villagers started offering namaz at the mosque since the holy month of Ramzan began.

“Village head Abdul Jalil Fareshi and the village defence party told them many times not to visit the mosque and asked them to offer namaz at homes. But nobody listened to him and he was humiliated as well as threatened, another officer said.