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Jorhat, May 4: An All-Tai Ahom Students’ Union leader died and two were injured when a group of the union’s activists was allegedly attacked by workers of a steel factory in Chunpura of Sivasagar district last night.
Police said Debojit Lahon, 20, the assistant general secretary of the Chunpura unit of the students’ union, died on the spot while Kirti Chandra Arandhara and Ujjal Borgohain were critically injured.
Debojit was a second year student of Gargaon College.
The union has called a 24-hour Sivasagar district bandh tomorrow in protest against the incident and set a 24-hour deadline to arrest the culprits involved in the attack.
It also demanded action against police personnel who were allegedly present at the incident site and had done nothing to stop the attackers.
The union took out a procession with the body of Debojit in Sivasagar town today demanding Rs 10 lakh compensation to the next of kin and Rs 5 lakh each for the injured.
Five persons, including the manager of M/s H.L. Steel Co Private Ltd, Sunit Gayan, have been picked up.
Police sources said a group of nearly 10 union activists was collecting donations to host a Bihu function from trucks parked at a weigh-bridge near the steel factory late last night. Two trucks had come out of the steel factory at that time and the activists stopped the two vehicles and demanded donation from the drivers.
The employees in the trucks refused to pay and informed the manager of the steel factory.
“When the manager of the factory requested the activists to allow the truck to move since the factory had already paid donation for the Bihu function, an argument started between the manager and the activists,” a police official said.
He said the manager of the factory rushed to the nearby Cherekapar police outpost and returned with a group of policemen.
However, the activists refused to allow the trucks to move without paying donation and a heated argument ensued..
The employees of the factory also attacked the activists, resulting in the death of the union leader. ATASU general secretary Mayur Borgohain said they would launch a series of agitation if the culprits involved in the incidents, including the police personnel in whose presence the incident took place, were not arrested within 24 hours.
“The police did not dare to stop the employees of the steel factory since the factory belongs to the son of a Congressman. We also demand that the owner of the factory is arrested,” Borgohain said.
Sivasagar district administration has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident, to be conducted by ADC Isfaqur Rahman. The report will be submitted within three days.
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