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Probe ordered into police firing

Special Correspondent

Situation in curfew-clamped Lakhipur and other parts fully under control

— PHOTO: RITU RAJ KONWAR

PREPARATIONS ON: Officials carry ballot boxes to polling stations from Guwahati on Thursday. The second phase of the panchayat elections in Assam will be held on Friday.

Guwahati: The Assam government on Thursday announced a judicial probe into the circumstances leading to the police firing at Lakhipur in lower Assam’s Goalpara district resulting in the death of seven persons and bullet wounds to about 20 persons on Wednesday.

Principal Secretary, Home, Subhas Das told The Hindu that the situation in curfew-clamped Lakhipur and other parts of the district was fully under control and there was no report of any fresh untoward incident on Thursday. The Army staged a flag march in different tension-gripped areas of Goalpara district including Goalpara town for the second day on Thursday.

He said the bodies of the seven persons, brought here for post-mortem examination, would be handed over to their family members on Friday. The dead have been identified as Rahim Badsah, Firoze Ali, Hasmot Ali, Tahinur Ali, Mohar Ali, Sirajul Haque and Hasan Ali.

The State announced an ex-gratia of Rs. 3 lakh to the next of kin of each of the deceased, Rs. 10,000 to those with serious injuries and Rs. 3,000 to those with minor injuries.

The State Election Commission has postponed panchayat elections in the entire district following the outbreak of violence during which protesters belonging to the Non-Rabha Coordination Forum torched vehicles carrying polling teams bound for polling booths in the district for the second phase of the panchayat polls in the State.

Violence broke out on Wednesday during a blockade called by the Forum to protest deferment of polls in the Rabha Hasong Autonmous Council Area .

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