Kokrajhar, July 14: Two policemen, including an assistant sub-inspector, were arrested today after an NIA undertrial prisoner was killed and another escaped from police custody yesterday when they were on their way to Kokrajhar from Guwahati at Choibari in the district.
Kokrajhar superintendent of police Syamal Prasad Saikia said the two policemen, including ASI Dilip Basumatary and unarmed battalion constable Ukundwi Brahma, were arrested for negligence of duty and helping the two undertrials escape.
Four NIA undertrials were returning to Kokrajhar jail from Guwahati when two of them sprayed analgesic spray on the eyes of the escort party after they reached Choibari tea garden around 5pm and tried to escape.
The area is about 10km from Kokrajhar town.
Swmla Basumatary was shot by the escort team while Rajib Basumatary fled into the tea bushes and its adjoining forest. The other two undertrial prisoners, Sanjoy Narzary and Lebao Basumatary who were handcuffed, could not escape and were escorted back to Kokrajhar jail.
Though a search operation was carried out, Swmla could be traced till the filing of this report. A senior police officer said the two prisoners were not handcuffed and even brought the spray from a shop at Rajapara in Goalpara where they had stopped for lunch.
"The two policemen were on duty with the prisoner van and a preliminary investigation suggests that they played a role in helping the two undertrials escape, though one was killed while trying to flee," he said.
Attack probe
Police have started an investigation into the attack on AIUDF leader Dahit Chandra Brahma last evening.
Unidentified armed men shot at Brahma's vehicle near Elasijhar when he was on his way to Kokrajhar from Dotma. Three bullets hit the vehicle but Brahma escaped unhurt.
Absu has condemned the attack. In a statement, Kokrajhar district committee general secretary Nion Mushahary, said Absu had been demanding seizing of all illegal weapons for long. Many people were killed in the BTAD between 2008 and 2012 because of easy availability of illegal arms in the region, he added.
