Guwahati/Silchar/Dibrugarh, Feb 5 (PTI) At least three miscreants were injured in police shoot outs in different districts of Assam when they allegedly tried to escape from custody, officials of the force said on Saturday.
An alleged drug peddler, a suspected areca nut smuggler and a robber were injured in police firing when on Friday night they reportedly tried to escape from police custody in Darrang, Cachar and Dibrugarh districts respectively, the police said.
Darrang superintendent of police Sushanta Biswa Sarma told PTI that the police shot at an alleged drug peddler to prevent him from fleeing and a bullet hit him on the leg. The incident took place at Ghatpar area when the accused was leading a police team to recover some drugs and tried to give the slip.
A constable received minor injuries in the incident, he said.
In the second incident an alleged areca nut smuggler tried to escape from police custody at Salchapara in Cachar district ignoring warnings by the force, who then fired at him and injured him on the leg, its superintendent of police Ramandeep Kaur said.
The man and his son had been arrested by the crime branch of the district police after a raid in his house, she said.
In another case an alleged robber was fired at by the police when he tried to escape from police custody at Chabua of Dibrugarh district on Friday night.
Dibrugarh SP Shwetank Mishra said the man was among four robbers arrested while planning to loot Sealkotee Tea Estate and seized a car from them.
In all the three cases the injured are under treatment in hospitals and recovering, the police said.
Altogether 33 people have been killed and at least 72 injured in police action while allegedly trying to flee from custody or attacking the police personnel since the BJP government, led by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, assumed 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.
The Gauhati High Court on January 11 asked the Assam government to file a detailed affidavit within two weeks on police encounters that have been taking place unabatedly since BJP returned to power in May last year.
The Assam government, however, failed to submit the detailed affidavit on the police encounters on January 25 as sought by the HC, which gave more time to the administration and deferred the hearing to February 8.