Drug dealer killed in police encounter in Assam

GUWAHATI: A suspected drug dealer was killed and a police officer injured in an encounter in Assam's Nagaon district early on Sunday, a senior officer said.

With the fresh death, at least 16 accused people have been killed in police encounters in Assam since the second BJP government under Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma assumed charge on May 10.

Acting on a tip-off, personnel of Khatowal police station led by officer-in-charge Alok Datta Gupta undertook a search operation at a house in Geruamukh area around 1 am.

"As soon as the team reached the spot, the drug dealer attacked the OC with a 'khukuri' (machete) targeting his neck. Datta Gupta sustained grievous injuries, particularly on his hands, while trying to save himself," Superintendent of Police Anand Kumar Mishra told PTI.

"The gang members, who were packing drugs into small sachets, also attacked other policemen," the SP said, adding that a contractual driver was also injured.

Datta Gupta had to open fire in self-defence but it is not yet clear whether the drug dealers had also used firearms in their attack, he said.

The drug dealer, the OC and the driver were admitted to Nagaon Civil Hospital, where the doctors declared the accused brought dead, while the remaining gang members managed to escape, the officer said.

The OC and the driver are being treated at the hospital, he said.

Praising Datta Gupta for his bravery, the SP said, "The OC has just around one-and-a-half years of service left but the moment he received the information about the drug dealers, he went ahead with the raid with just four constables with him.

The officer has impressed everyone with his sincerity towards duty.

" With the latest encounter, a total of 16 suspects have been killed and 31 injured while trying to flee from or evade police custody in Assam in the last three months.

The unabated police encounters have led the opposition and a section of the civil society to accuse the police under the second BJP government in the state of indulging in "open killings".

The chief minister had earlier said that the police have been given "full operational liberty" under the ambit of the law to fight criminals.

The Assam Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has taken suo moto cognisance of the encounters and asked the state government on July 7 to institute an inquiry into the circumstances that led to the casualties in police encounters in the last two months.

Earlier, a New Delhi-based lawyer from Assam, Arif Jwadder, had filed a complaint with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) against the Assam Police for the series of encounters that have taken place under Sarma's rule.