Fifteen people have been arrested in connection with Friday’s mob violence that targeted a forest office and its personnel at Runikhata in Assam’s Chirang district.
“The situation is under control. There has been no agitation or protest today. We have arrested 15 persons on Friday night in connection with the attack on the forest office,” a police official involved in maintaining law and order in the district told The Telegraph.
“The arrested persons were produced in court on Saturday. Security has been tightened in the affected area and the ban on internet services will be lifted once the situation completely stabilises,” the official said. The arrested persons hail from the Adivasi community.
With the law and order situation turning volatile on Friday, the state government imposed a ban on mobile internet service in the districts of Chirang and Kokrajhar, both of which falls under the Bodoland Territorial Council, an autonomous council under the Sixth Schedule.
There was tension in the area under Runikhata range office following detention of 25 persons, belonging to the Adivasi and Nepali community, for allegedly encroaching forest land since Thursday evening. Though the persons were released on Thursday night, there was a protest linked to the detention.
“The handling of the protesters by forest personnel, especially women protesters, on Thursday night escalated the situation on Friday morning. The mob fury was triggered by allegations surrounding the protest, resulting in the attack on the forest office, its personnel and torching of vehicles. The timely intervention of security personnel saved the situation from spiralling out of control,” an official said.
Altogether five vehicles, including two bikes, were torched by the mob. Three .303 rifles were thrown into one burning vehicle but all other arms and ammunition have been accounted for, the official said to dismiss reports of looting of arms duringthe vandalism.