Guwahati/Dibrugarh/Lakhimpur, Feb 23 (PTI) A drug peddler, one suspected dacoit and an alleged car thief were injured in police firing in different districts when they allegedly tried to flee from custody, senior officials said on Wednesday.
The three incidents were reported from Hailakandi, Dibrugarh and Dhemaji districts since Tuesday night, officials said.
In the first incident, a drug peddler was nabbed at Hailakandi town by a police team led by a Deputy Superintendent of Police with 10 vials of suspected heroin, Hailakandi Superintendent of Police Gaurav Upadhyay told PTI.
“During interrogation, he told us that two people supplied the drugs. He led the police team to arrest the persons. However, at one point, he snatched the pistol of one sub-inspector and tried to fire at police.
“As the weapon was locked, he could not fire. In self-defence, one of the officials fired at his leg. This happened at around 3 am today. He is now being treated at Silchar Medical College and Hospital,” Upadhyay said.
The SP said the accused was already charge-sheeted in two other cases.
In the second incident, a police team went to the house of an alleged thief near Moran in Dibrugarh district to arrest him after getting a tip-off, Additional SP Bitul Chetia said.
“On seeing the police, he pulled out a pistol and tried to fire at us. It led to a scuffle and police fired two rounds aiming at his leg. He was injured and sent to Assam Medical College and Hospital for treatment,” he added.
Police seized one revolver, two live rounds, three blank cartridges and a .22 pistol from his possession, the official said.
Chetia said that already four cases were registered against the alleged culprit at Moran and Demow police stations.
The latest police shoot-out took place on Wednesday evening at Gogamukh area in Dhemaji district when an alleged car thief tried to escape.
“We recieved information about a notorious thief and went to arrest him. However, he fled in a car on seeing the police team approaching. At Sonapur area under Gogamukh police station, he left the car and ran towards the Subansiri river to cross it,” a senior official said.
The police asked him to stop, but he did not listen and then one round was fired at him, injuring his leg, the police official alleged.
“He was sent to Lakhimpur Medical College and Hospital for treatment. There are many cases registered against him,” the official said.
Altogether 33 people have been killed and at least 83 injured in police action while allegedly trying to flee from custody or attacking policemen since BJP took office in May 2021.
The rising number of shoot-outs whipped up a political furore with the opposition alleging that the Assam Police has turned “trigger happy” and is indulging in “open killings” under the Himanta Biswa Sarma-led regime.
Unfazed by criticism of his government over recent encounter killings, Sarma on July 15 last year had said in the Assam Assembly that the state police has “full operational liberty” to fight `criminals within the ambit of law’.
On February 7, the Assam government claimed in an affidavit before the Gauhati High Court that due process of law and all guidelines issued by the NHRC were being followed in all cases of police encounter that have taken place in the state since May last year.