Guwahati, India – A dispute over a minor incident erupted into a violent confrontation when a man from an indigenous community was severely beaten by individuals from a different community in Assam’s Barpeta district on Tuesday.
Reports indicate that the attack was led by Jawar Khan from Surpura village. The victim, identified as Pranob Das from Bamunbari village in Bhawanipur’s Barpeta district, sustained serious injuries, along with Bikash Das, Mausum Das, and Konjyoti Talukdar during the incident.
Local authorities have initiated an investigation into the assault on indigenous individuals to apprehend the perpetrators responsible for the violent attack.
Bikash Das, the son of Pranob Das, recounted the sequence of events, stating that a minor altercation between students escalated on the road, prompting his father to intervene and resolve the issue at the school. However, Khan and others from Surpura village subsequently pursued his father, leading to a brutal assault. When Bikash attempted to intervene, he and his brother were also subjected to violence, with even their ailing mother being chased.
Konjyoti Talukdar, another victim, described attempting to intervene when he witnessed a group chasing a man from their village. Despite his efforts to stop them, he was met with aggression, including being attacked with bamboo and robbed of his belongings.
State cabinet minister Jayanta Malla Baruah visited Barpeta Medical College to check on the injured individuals’ health status following the attack. Baruah then assessed the situation in Bamunbari village firsthand.
Asserting the government’s commitment to upholding the rights and security of indigenous communities, Baruah emphasized the importance of law enforcement in ensuring justice for the victims of the attack. Strict actions have been instructed to be taken against those involved in the assault, with a case already registered in response to the incident.