One woman was killed and another critically injured after they were attacked with a sharp weapon following a brawl at Rupai Tea Estate under Baghjan police station in Assam’s Tinsukia district.
The deceased has been identified as Sheela Nanda (48) of Line No. 14 of Rupai Tea Estate.
According to reports, the incident occurred on Monday night when a local man, Narottam Bhumij, allegedly barged into Sheela’s house and attacked her and her daughter-in-law, Rashmi Karmakar (25), with a sharp weapon.
Sheela succumbed to her injuries at the hospital, while Rashmi remains in critical condition and is undergoing treatment in Dibrugarh.
“The enraged locals set several houses and shops on fire and vandalised an e-rickshaw, demanding that the accused be handed over to them. The situation became uncontrollable, but police arrested the main accused before any further untoward incident,” said a local resident of Rupai.
Sources said Rashmi has been actively involved with a women’s organisation, regularly organising awareness meetings in the tea estate to curb anti-social activities.
“We have arrested Narottam Bhumij in connection with the incident and begun interrogation. The situation at Rupai Tea Estate remains tense,” said a police official.
A line chowkidar of Rupai Tea Estate said, “Rashmi has been organising awareness programmes against anti-social activities in the tea garden area. People like Narottam opposed her work and were very angry with her.”
Meanwhile, the All Tea Tribes Students’ Association (ATTSA) condemned the attack. “It’s a very unfortunate incident. We demand stringent action against the culprit who killed one woman and left another battling for her life in a private hospital in Dibrugarh,” said an ATTSA leader.
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