Assam: Lakhimpur police in a fix over custodial torture accusations
North Lakhimpur: Lakhimpur Police have been in a fix following complaints of unwarranted detention and torture inside police stations in quick succession.
According to complainants, officers of two different police stations rounded up two individuals without any offence and tortured them during their detention causing serious public concerns for the role of the accountability law enforcers.
According to reports, police from Doolahat Police Outpost under Laluk Police Station of Lakhimpur district rounded up one Vickey Chetry on the morning of October 6 and kept him inside the police outpost for more than twelve hours.
According to Vivkey, the police had been pressuring him to collect money from liquor bootleggers. He alleged that the Inspector-in-Charge of the police outpost beat him brutally during his detention.
He further said that the police personnel of Doolahat Police Outpost forced his wife to cook food for them inside the outpost with meat and serve with liquor on that night. Vickey’s wife also alleged that the Inspector-in-Charge of the police outpost behaved inappropriately threatening her to strip naked.
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The incident drew the attention of local public and hundreds of women protested inside the Doolahat Police Outpost demanding action against the guilty police officers.
Meanwhile in another incident, an Assistant Sub-Inspector of Dhakuakhana Police Station rounded up one youth Bipul Handique from his shop at Jamuguri area on the night of Laxmi Puja when he was celebrating the occasion with his friends. Handique was beaten brutally by the ASI inside the police station and released the next morning.
According to Lakhimpur Police, the incident at Dhakuakhana on the night of Laxmi Puja was that of drunken behaviour.
The youth was picked up as he was found drinking liqour with a group of men by the side of the road on that festival night. The Lakhimpur Police has ordered an inquiry into the incident.
Both the incidents have significantly tarnished the image of Lakhimpur district raising serious questions on accountability for the law enforcement agency.
While the first case refers to the proliferation of bootlegging of liquor with the knowledge of the police in the peripheral areas, the second one is about the state of affairs where liquor shops are allowed for business and for consumption by the excise department as well as non-existence of any SOP on liquor consumption on festive occasions.