Assam mob attack: nine held for theft, search on for

The police on Saturday arrested nine people in connection with the alleged theft of a buffalo, which led to an incident of mob attack in Hailakandi district of South Assam on Friday.

Hailakandi Superintendent of Police Pabindra Kumar Nath said the nine were apprehended on the charge of theft and they have been remanded to judicial custody.

A mob had assaulted six of these nine and later a group of securitymen who reached the spot to rescue them.

A search operation has been launched in the area to apprehend the attackers and six people have so far been picked up for interrogation, Nath said.

Nine persons including a police constable of neighbouring Cachar district had gone to Laskarbazar weekly cattle market area on Friday.

Three of them allegedly fled after taking away a buffalo from the market and the remaining six were searching the animal, police sources said adding that local people suspected the six to be child-lifters and beat them up.

A team of 12 police and CRPF personnel who had gone to the spot, around 13 kilometres from Hailakandi town, to rescue the six people were also beaten up by the mob.

A suo motu case has also been filed by the police on the violence after the security personnel, including Officers-in-Charge of Hailakandi and Algapur police stations were injured in the attack, the SP said.

The mob also set ablaze the vehicle in which the nine had gone to the village and also damaged the four-wheeler of a Deputy Superintendent of Police-ranked officer, the sources said.

Four security personnel were admitted to Silchar Medical College and Hospital and Hailakandi Sadar police station OC Hemanta Kumar Das was shifted to a Guwahati hospital on Saturday, the sources said.