8 cops, 10 labourers injured as police crackdown on protestors

At least eight police personnel and 10 labourers of a tea estate were injured on Thursday in Assam's Golaghat district when agitators pelted stones at the security force, prompting the police to lathicharge and fire rubber bullets.

Carrying stones, about 300 labourers of Bogidhola Tea Estate, where a lockout had been declared, had blocked a road demanding "unconditional release" of three of their coworkers.

The three persons were arrested on Wednesday for illegally plucking tea leaves from the garden and selling them without permission from authorities, Numaligarh police outpost in-charge, Pranjit Borah, said.

When the protestors pelted stones at the police injuring eight of them, the security force resorted to lathicharge and fired rubber bullets at them to bring the situation under control, Borah said.

When the demonstrators attempted to flee, some of them fell down receiving minor injuries, he said.

The situation was now under control, he said.

The owners of the tea estate had filed an FIR on Wednesday accusing the workers of illegally plucking tea leaves and selling them.

Lockout was declared in Bogidhola Tea Estate since December 14, 2017 when its owners were arrested for allegedly firing at labourers during a protest rally over wage-related issues.