The situation outside the district jail at Mushalpur in Baksa district of Assam continues to remain tense as clashes between fans of singer Zubeen Garg and police continue in the area. Police fired several rounds to control the outraged mob. Earlier, police resorted to lathi-charging and firing teargas shells to disperse the crowd, but the situation could not be brought under control.
Several vehicles, including two police vehicles and one belonging to a news organisation, were set ablaze. The situation turned tense after some of the protestors pelted stones and tried to enter the premises of the jail. Several reporters, police officers, and protestors suffered injuries during the scuffle. However, the exact number of those injured and the extent of damage to property could not be ascertained at the time of filing this report.
Protests erupted in the district following the government’s decision to shift five people arrested in connection with the death of singer Zubeen Garg to Baksa Jail. Protestors expressed discontent, saying that the prison is a newly constructed facility with no inmates and modern amenities. They also alleged that the state government was trying to protect the accused.
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The development comes after Shyamkanu Mahanta, the chief organiser of the North East India Festival, Zubeen’s manager, Siddhartha Sharma, his cousin and police officer, Sandipan Garg, and his two personal security officers, Nandeswar Bora and Prabin Baishya, were sent to judicial custody by the Kamrup Chief Judicial Magistrate on Wednesday.
The court had directed that they be lodged in a jail with fewer inmates, citing security concerns. However, protestors alleged that moving the accused to a jail with modern facilities was an attempt by the government to shield them.
Authorities have urged people to maintain peace and avoid any act of violence as the situation remains tense in the area.
Also read | Prohibitory order imposed near Baksa District Jail amid law & order concerns