GUWAHATI: The Assam government has informed the Gauhati High Court that 51 persons have been killed in the state in police encounters from May last year to May this year.
In an affidavit filed in the court in connection with a PIL on alleged fake encounters, the state’s Home department said 139 others were injured during various other incidents during the period.
The BJP-led Himanta Biswa Sarma government was installed on May 10 last year.
Earlier, the court had ordered the government to file a detailed affidavit on the alleged fake encounters by the police. The court fixed the next hearing for July 29.
Assam’s Advocate General, Devajit Saikia had represented the State. Arif Jwadder, a Delhi-based lawyer and activist, had appeared virtually.
Jwadder had sought an order for the registration of an FIR in the cases and an independent probe by an agency such as the Central Bureau of Investigation. He had also sought a judicial inquiry by a sitting judge of the High Court.
The Assam Police had stepped up their operations against drug dealers/peddlers and cattle lifters/smugglers after Sarma had donned the CM’s mantle. He had launched an operation, especially against drugs.
Over the next few months, the Assam Police seized drugs worth over Rs 200 crore and arrested dozens of people. However, many of them sustained bullet injuries after allegedly attempting to escape from police custody with the firearms of the personnel. The police had cut short their run by firing in the legs.
Some rape accused in police custody were also fired upon and injured when they had allegedly tried to flee with police firearms. Two others, arrested on the charges of lynching a student leader and burning down a police station, had died after being hit by police vehicles when they were allegedly attempting to flee.
The government was criticised by the opposition for turning Assam into a “police state” but Sarma said the police actions against the criminals would continue.