Curfew clamped in Tinsukia, tea tribes' body calls bandh

Tinsukia, Apr 12: An Indefinite curfew was imposed in Pangeree police station area in upper Assam's Tinsukia district today following the death of 11 persons after a high voltage electric wire fell on them when police fired in air to disperse them.

District Deputy Commissioner Puru Gupta has issued the order promulgating curfew from 5 pm until further notice. Meanwhile a 48-hour Tinsukia district bandh from 7 am tomorrow has been called by the All Assam Tea Tribes Students Association (AATTSA) to protest against the incident where the victims were from the tea tribe community.

Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has ordered a judicial enquiry into the incident and appealed the people to exercise restraint and maintain peace and tranquility, besides asking the Tinsukia Deputy Commissioner to maintain law and order.

Eleven persons, including five women, died and 20 others seriously wounded due to electrocution by a high voltage electric wire that fell on them as police blank fired to quell protestors vandalising Pengeree police station.

Police said the incident took place when a large number of protestors armed with machetes and sticks pelted stones at Pangeree police station and tried to gherao it demanding that those arrested in connection with the killing of two persons in the area three days ago be handed over to them, police said.

They threw stones and broke glass panes of the police station. Police then fired in the air to control the mob and the bullets hit a overhead high tension electric wire causing it to snap and fall on the demonstrators.

Nine of them died on the spot and one died at Tinsukia Civil Hospital. Another person died on way to Assam Medical College Hospital in neighbouring Dibrugarh district.

Senior district civil and police officials along with central paramilitary forces and police reinforcements were camping at the spot.

Three days ago a man, his son and daughter-in-law were abducted by unidentified persons at Pangeree area and while the son escaped from their kidnappers, the bodies of the two others were recovered later, police said. Police had arrested five persons in this connection and the mob had demanded that they be handed over to them for punishment.

PTI