A different take of the Kakopathar incident
Kakopathar incident
Sir, – The incident at Kakopathar on February 10, which left nine dead including a CRPF jawan and many injured in its wake, requires analysis, for there in more to the mayhem that occurred than meets the eye. Quite understandably, the State machinery and the police have been condemned and rebuked for their failure to control the irate crowd which turned violent, hurling stones and bottles at government officials and security men, breaking through successive CRPF barricades at Lajimgaon which finally led to the CRPF firing.
Precious little has been reported about the reasons for the sudden change in attitude of seemingly peaceful protestors turning into a mob baying for blood. Paresh Baruah has cleverly sidelined the issue, blaming lumpen elements for the anti/army protests. In an e-mail to newspaper houses, he warned 'other forces' for instigating peaceful protestors. The cover -up is obvious, because among the thousands that formed the crowd, his cadres, some of whom were seen carrying pistols, were whipping up frenzy and goading them to violence. The instigators have already been identified by the government and the police authorities.
At a time when elections are on the anvil, the dynamics of inter-party policies would surely be at play. The death of Ajit Mahanta in Army's custody provided just the right recipie for all interested parties, political or otherwise, to cook up anti-government sentiment.
It must be noted that a crowd does not form voluntarily on its own. Meticulous planning and stage management must have been done for a 10,000 strong crowd to congregate for the 'event'. So while thousands of innocent people gathered, ostensibly to protest against government forces, ULFA's sinister designed to offer these same innocent people as sacrificial lambs, was set in motion.
Nevertheless, this single digression of the security forces cannot be flogged repeatedly to divert the people's attention from the depredations of ULFA. Nobody is talking today of Dhemaji or even of those who were killed and maimed by the blasts on the eve of the Republic Day in 2006. But there is no need to revive the past. What we in Assam need to realise now is that ULFA has exploited the present situation to garner support for itself. Paresh Baruah has already called for 'peaceful protests' to continue. We will do well to avoid falling into this trap. In the meantime, the Kakopathar mob instigators, who have been identified, must be arrested before ULFA orchestrates another showdown. – Yours etc., ANUPAM BARUAH, Silpukhuri, Guwahati.
Sir, – The incident at Kakopathar on February 10, which left nine dead including a CRPF jawan and many injured in its wake, requires analysis, for there in more to the mayhem that occurred than meets the eye. Quite understandably, the State machinery and the police have been condemned and rebuked for their failure to control the irate crowd which turned violent, hurling stones and bottles at government officials and security men, breaking through successive CRPF barricades at Lajimgaon which finally led to the CRPF firing.
Precious little has been reported about the reasons for the sudden change in attitude of seemingly peaceful protestors turning into a mob baying for blood. Paresh Baruah has cleverly sidelined the issue, blaming lumpen elements for the anti/army protests. In an e-mail to newspaper houses, he warned 'other forces' for instigating peaceful protestors. The cover -up is obvious, because among the thousands that formed the crowd, his cadres, some of whom were seen carrying pistols, were whipping up frenzy and goading them to violence. The instigators have already been identified by the government and the police authorities.
At a time when elections are on the anvil, the dynamics of inter-party policies would surely be at play. The death of Ajit Mahanta in Army's custody provided just the right recipie for all interested parties, political or otherwise, to cook up anti-government sentiment.
It must be noted that a crowd does not form voluntarily on its own. Meticulous planning and stage management must have been done for a 10,000 strong crowd to congregate for the 'event'. So while thousands of innocent people gathered, ostensibly to protest against government forces, ULFA's sinister designed to offer these same innocent people as sacrificial lambs, was set in motion.
Nevertheless, this single digression of the security forces cannot be flogged repeatedly to divert the people's attention from the depredations of ULFA. Nobody is talking today of Dhemaji or even of those who were killed and maimed by the blasts on the eve of the Republic Day in 2006. But there is no need to revive the past. What we in Assam need to realise now is that ULFA has exploited the present situation to garner support for itself. Paresh Baruah has already called for 'peaceful protests' to continue. We will do well to avoid falling into this trap. In the meantime, the Kakopathar mob instigators, who have been identified, must be arrested before ULFA orchestrates another showdown. – Yours etc., ANUPAM BARUAH, Silpukhuri, Guwahati.
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