Police raj cannot be encouraged, encounters need to be investigated by judiciary, says renowned educationist

Feb. 10: Nagaon SP Anand Mishra was transferred on Wednesday following the officer’s comments in connection with the police firing of former student leader Kirti Kamal Bora. Bora was left injured in the encounter and is currently recuperating at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital. He was transferred and attached to Assam Police Headquarters with immediate effect. Additional SP Dhuba Bora has been given the temporary charge of the post until further orders.

Reacting to this incident, renowned academician Prof. Sanjib Kumar Borkakoti, Expert member at ICICH International Scientific Committee for Intangible Cultural Heritage & President at Society for Srimanta Sankaradeva expressed severe reservations against the present state of encounters conducted by the state police in Assam.

Taking to his Facebook wall on Thursday, reputed scholar Dr Sanjib Kumar Borkakoti wrote, “A Superintendent of Police in Nagaon district has taken law in his hands and tortured many innocent people in the name of applying brakes in drugs business. It’s good to decide to control them lately. Assam should not be a state under police rule. In the name of rule of law, the police should stop such type of functioning. All encounters that have already happened should be investigated by the judiciary. It is better to stop the tendency to make such police officers as heroes in social media.”

On January 23, Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma had announced a one-man inquiry commission, comprising additional chief secretary Pawan Borthakur, to probe Bora’s injury. Based on the report, the government had directed the DGP to suspend sub-inspector Pradeep Bania as well as to conduct a departmental inquiry into the role of all policemen involved in the incident. The DGP was also directed to immediately disband the anti-narcotic squad, constituted by the Nagaon SP Mishra.

However, on Thursday, while interacting with the media CM Dr Sarma said it is wrong to tell that the inquiry committee report is pointless in nature. Anand Mishra has no connection with Kirti Kamal Bora’s case. No report was filed against him by the inquiry commission, CM Sarma said. However,he expressed displeasure at the way the IPS officer called the press and expressed opinion against the inquiry committee.