Police Firing in Cachar: "I surrendered but they shot," says Accused; "He tried to escape custody," SP

On Saturday, tension mounted in the Binnakandi area. A mob gathered and allegedly vandalised properties as a mark of protest against a local man who according to them, kidnapped a Hindu girl. The girl in question is a Scotpur tea estate resident in the Kumbirgram area under Udharbond Legislative Assembly Constituency. Police officials intervened to bring law and order situation under control.

According to SP Cachar, Numal Mahatta, the Police officials registered a Kidnapping case against Mannan Ahmed and launched an operation. Briefing the Press on Sunday, Mahatta said that based on a tip, the Police raided a location at the Mizoram border and traced Mannan Ahmed. They rescued the girl safely and detained Ahmed as per law.

“Mannan Ahmed kidnapped the girl and was trying to run away to Mizoram. We detained him at the inter-state border and then brought him to Binnakandi for investigation. As per the law, we were escorting him to the Medical Centre for a check-up when he pushed a constable and tried to escape from the spot. Despite issuing several warnings, Ahmed continued to run away, when the Police opened a round of blank fire. But that did not scare Ahmed so, Police had to aim and fire at his legs. He incurred some injuries during the restrained firing but we have managed to arrest him,” asserted Cachar SP Numal Mahatta.

Mannan Ahmed has been admitted to Silchar Medical College and Hospital. After initial treatment in the Emergency, he was transferred to the Orthopedics department.

Barak Bulletin’s correspondent got access to Ahmed and he shared a different version. “I surrendered but they shot at me,” he said. Explaining, “I fell in love with this girl and we have been talking to each other for the last five months. On Thursday we eloped after she called me and said that she had left her parental abode and now if I don’t take her along, she will kill herself. We mutually agreed to elope on Thursday and have been living in different places since then.”

Mannan Ahmed, while down with bullet injury, added, “After tension started mounting on Saturday, we decided to surrender. I called up the Sonai Police through the elected AP member and both of us surrendered. From Sonai, we were brought to Silchar and she was sent to the Ujjwala Home. I was taken for medical and after my check-up was done I was kept at the Silchar Sadar Police Station. Then at around 2:30 AM, the officials told me to get in the car as we needed to go to Lakhipur. The Police van with officials left and I could hear them talking many things. They took a reverse turn and went to Shibpur and then asked me to get out of the car when we reached Shibpur. Once I got out of the car, I was shot in the leg.

Cachar SP Numal Mahatta was asked for a reaction to the remarks. He said, “He did not surrender and we only opened fire once he tried to escape,” before reiterating what he said earlier during the press briefing.

The matter remains under investigation and now the ball is in the district magistrate’s court. Following a Police encounter, the Magistrate by default orders a probe to investigate the circumstances that led to the firing. What emerges in that investigation is something that remains to be seen.