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Eight students killed in Assam police firing
PRABIN KALITA

TIMES NEWS NETWORK
[ SATURDAY, JULY 26, 2003 10:19:37 AM ]

GUWAHATI: Seven students of the All Adivasi Students' Association (AASA) were killed and over 20 injured in police firing at Paneri in Darrang district, Assam, on Friday. The students were preventing the police from forcibly opening shops during a 12-hour Assam bandh called by the Association.

 

One of the injured succumbed to his injuries on Saturday.

 

AASA president Justin Lakra told Times News Network, "The firing at Paneri was done by the Bodo Liberation Tiger (BLT) cadres in police uniforms. When our boys tried to stop the BLT boys and the police, who were forcibly trying to open the shops, the BLT members fired at our boys."

 

IGP (law and order) S B Kakoty said, "The BLT is no way connected in this firing. The mob had tried to enforce the bandh in a Bodo-dominated area and there were definitely Bodo people in the area, but no one knows if any BLT or NDFB people were involved."

The students killed in the firing are Metneil Munda, Jiten Tanti, Babu Khera, Arun Tanti, Joseph Babla, Mandaran Hudi and Mangra Tanti.

 

Meanwhile, the entire district, which has a sizeable Bodo and adivasi population, is tense following the incident. All senior police officials of the district have rushed to the area and are camping there.

 

Lakra said that the bandh was called to press for the demands of the advasis. "We want the state government to recommend ST status to the adivasis: Scrapping of the BTC memorandum of understanding, rehabilitation of the riot victims in Kokrajhar and Bongaigaon districts, and revival of the Assam Tea Corporation gardens," he said.

 

According to police, the incident occurred at around 11.30 am at Kochubil Tiniali, about 1 km away from the Paneri police station when more than 2,000 students attacked the police. Three policemen were also injured, the IGP said.

 

Lakra said that two other adivasi students were injured in a separate firing incident by the Army at Namdang Tea Estate in Margherita in Tinsukia district.

 

"We want the state government or the Centre to seize all weapons with the BLT cadres. The state government has unleashed the BLT cadres on us as we have been protesting against the Bodoland Territorial Council," Lakra alleged.

 

He added that Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi had promised on June 18 to send the recommendation for granting ST status to the adivasis within 10 days. "The time period has ended and we are yet to see results. This is why we called this bandh," he said.

Related Stories
Assam govt faces flak, orders probe


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