Clashes erupted between Bodo and tribal communities in Assam’s Kokrajhar district on Tuesday following the death of a man in mob violence. The Rapid Action Force (RAF) was deployed, and internet services have been suspended.
A Home Department official said on Tuesday that on Monday night, a vehicle carrying three Bodo men hit two tribals on Mansingh Road in the Karigaon outpost area under Kokrajhar police station. Following the incident, tribal villagers assaulted the three Bodo men and set their vehicle on fire.
One person died in the incident. The situation escalated on Tuesday when people from both the Bodo and tribal communities blocked the national highway near the Karigaon outpost, burned tires, and set fire to several houses.
A government office was also set ablaze, and the Karigaon police outpost was attacked. The official said the RAF was deployed to maintain law and order and bring the situation under control. The Home Department has suspended internet services throughout the district until further notice, fearing the spread of inflammatory messages and rumors through social media.
One killed, four injured in mob attack
In a separate incident in Assam’s Kokrajhar district, a mob lynched a man on suspicion of cattle theft, and four others were seriously injured in the attack.
Police said on Tuesday that people associated with a road construction project were returning in their vehicle after inspecting a site in the Audang area on Monday night. When their vehicle reached the Gaurinagar-Mashing Road, villagers tried to stop them, suspecting them of being cattle thieves.
In the ensuing chaos, the vehicle crashed and went off the road. The mob attacked the occupants of the vehicle and set it on fire, causing them serious burns. They were taken to the hospital, where one of them succumbed to his injuries. He was identified as the son-in-law of Moranda Basumatary, the project contractor.
