Violence during Goalpara bandh

Goalpara: Vehicles were damaged and set on fire and four persons - a police officer and three bandh supporters - were injured during the 36-hour Goalpara district shutdown in Assam Tuesday.

The bandh was called by the Coordination Committee of Non Rabhas from 5 am and its supporters clashed with the police at Khorboja, when they pelted stones at the security personnel, police said. In the stone pelting, Kharmoja police outpost in-charge, who had rushed to control the situation, was injured in his head and admitted to Goalpara civil hospital. Three bandh supporters were injured when police resorted to lathi charge and fired rubber bullets to quell the irate crowd, police said. The agitators set fire to a vehicle there, besides a truck at Bhalukdubi and damaged two auto-vans at nearby Kumri, the police added. The bandh was called to press for exclusion of non-Rabha villages from the ethnic Rabha Hasong Autonomous Council. The Committee also demanded either amendment or striking out of certain clauses of the Rabha Act 2001 and 2005 dealing with sale and transfer of land in the tribal areas. PTI