Karbi Anglong: Mob attacks tax officials on duty; three injured

Our Correspondent

Diphu, Oct. 27 (EMN): Three persons including a tax inspector, a trader and one from among the crowd were injured when a mob attacked officials of the Taxation Department of Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) at Sukhanjan Market in Karbi Anglong under Bokajan Police Station, Diphu on Thursday.

Three persons were arrested in this connection.

The incident happened when the tax officials were on their rounds checking trade licenses and advising the traders on the need to give taxes to the government. During the process, one person identified as Bijoy Singh came on a scooter and asked the shopkeepers to shut their shops after which, the tax officials were surrounded by a mob numbering to hundreds armed with sticks, iron rods, stones and daos to beat them up.

One of the traders from Sukhanjan, who was beaten up while trying to save the officials, said that he had overheard about the impending attack five days prior. The victim suffered some minor injuries. The mob shouted slogans, “dadagiri nosolibo, nosolibo, nosolibo” and marched from Sukhanjan to Bokajan police station.

The trader said that Bijoy Singh was the main culprit behind organising the attack. He said that the mob shouted that the officials be beaten and killed. Singh also snatched and broke the mobile phone of a tax official and threatened him to leave his vehicle behind otherwise he will not leave from there.

KAAC Tax Inspector, Nickson Terang was also assaulted and one Mohen Tokbi from among the crowd was also injured while trying to save the officials.

Traders from the area alleged that the KAAC tax officials allegedly often collect money ‘fine’ from them without giving them any receipt.

Nickson Terang has filed a complaint with Bokajan police station in which he said that the mob pelted stones at them and also beat them with iron rods while on duty.

He named Raj Kr. Rai, Jhagru Shah, Raju Tripathi, Madan Thakur, Ajay Singh and Bijoy Singh and unknown others in his complaint. Bijoy Singh is a known miscreant and troublemaker in the area. 

The three apprehended are Raj Kr. Ray (39), resident of Sukanjan; Jhagru Shah (56); and Raju Kr Tripathi (37), a resident of Sarihajan, all under Bokajan police station.

The President of the Karbi Students Association (KSA- Thang Sing Timung) said the incident is unfortunate and it should not happen again. KSA has asked for stern action and to arrest the culprits at the earliest.

Various social organisations including Hills Tribal League, Karbi Student’s Association, and Hill People Cultural Forum have condemned and demanded stern action to be taken against the culprits.