Silchar town in Cachar district of Barak valley in Assam has been
tense since Sunday evening after unidentified miscreants placed some
objectional items at places of worship at Rongpur area in midst of the
town. The district administration put Army on alert after situation
deteriorated.
The item had been kept by unidentified miscreants at the places of
worship in Rongpur area in the town in a bid to disrupt communal
harmony. As the news spread, local people gathered at the spot.
Police arrived at the spot to control the situation, public beaten up
a police official and also targeted Diganta Bora, SP of Cachar
district. Police first lathicharged to disperse the agitated crowd and
later fired several rounds in the air to control the situation.
Thirty people including six policemen were injured in the clash. The
agitated crowd set ablaze two police vehicles. Later, additional forces
were deployed in sensitive areas in the town and section 144 was also
promulgated.
Chief minister Tarun Gogoi on Monday in
Guwahati blamed the Vishwa Hindu Parisad (VHP) for the recent communal
tension in Silchar, the main town in southern Assam.
“VHP has
been trying to create communal disturbance in Assam. Not only in
Silchar, at many places in the state, the saffron brigade is active to
trigger communal tension”, said Gogoi.
Gogoi said that BJP in Assam has realized that the saffron party
would face defeat in the coming Lok Sabha election and to create
favourable situation for the party, other members of saffron brigade
jumped into create communal tension.
“In Ayodhya, VHP suddenly take decision to carryout a yatra for Ram
temple. This is for creating communal disturbance. Similarly, VHP is
trying to create communal tension everywhere in the country before the
Lok Sabha poll”, added Gogoi.
The chief minister warned all communal forces active in the state:
“We deal very firmly with all communal forces active in the state”.
All the three Barak valley districts of Cachar , Hailakandi and
Karimganj are regarded as communally sensitive district. The valley
witnessed some major communal violence in the nineties particularly
after the Babri mosque demolition. Both BJP and Congress are equally
strong in Barak valley in the state.
Meanwhile, VHP condemned chief minister Gogoi’s allegation to it on
Silchar incident. VHP’s NE region secretary Abhijit Deka alleged that
Gogoi has lost mental balance and no more suited to continue as chief
minister of the state.
In protest against Ayodhya VHP leaders’ arrest, members of saffron parivar had taken out a protest march in the city on Monday.
