GUWAHATI: Amidst the widespread protests in Assam against controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), mysterious attacks were perpetrated, allegedly targeting a former leader of All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) and a man who is a critic of the CAA.
An unidentified gunman on Thursday night fired a barrage of shots at the car of Binoy Barua, in Upper Assam’s Golaghat district. The attack was perpetrated when Barua had gone to meet an acquaintance, Pranjal Rajkonwar, and was having a discussion with him following a rally against CAA at Ganakpukhuri in Dergaon. The vehicle was parked outside the house when the shots were fired.
The shooter, who had come in a car, fled the scene when the locals started coming out of their homes. No arrest has been made so far.“It happened when I was at the house. I don’t know who fired the shots,” said Barua. He said he had taken the lead in organising the anti-CAA rally at Ganakpukhuri.
Golaghat Superintendent of Police, Pushpraj Singh, said they were probing the incident. He said seven empty cartridges were recovered from the site of the incident.
“He (Barua) is politically active. However, at this moment, it will be very difficult to relate the incident to political enmity or personal enmity. Our investigation is on,” Singh said.
In another incident at Udalguri district of Northern Assam on Thursday night, the car of a former leader of AASU, Entajul Islam, was attacked with stones by the miscreants. The incident occurred when Islam was travelling to Paneri from Udalguri along with some friends. Islam was relieved as president of AASU’s Paneri regional unit recently.