[Assam] from the Sentinel

[Alpana Sarangapani]

How dare they? then again, why are they there?..but anyway, the victims are the innocent villagers. http://www.sentinelassam.com/sentinel_en/regional1.htm Women up in arms against Army From a Correspondent BARPETA, Aug 5: Army atrocities on the innocent people of Assam in the name of searching for militants have been on the rise. More than 400 women of Peragaon, Kumariya, Datara, Suliya, Bogitara, Uttar Burhikhamar, etc., near here took the initiative yesterday to stage dharnas before the Deputy Commissioner and the Superintendent of Police’s office here in protest against torture by the Army during their search operation against ULFA and NDFB cadres in some villages on the north of Barpeta town. The agitated women who came from more than 20 villages to the north of Satabhog in the district, submitted separate memorandum to the DC and the SP demanding steps to check the activities of the Army so that the innocent villagers were not harassed in the name of searching for militants. Talking to The Sentinel, a section of the agitators vehemently criticized the Chief Minister of Assam, Mr Tarun Gogoi for his failure to protect the people of the State from the torture by the Army. "Besides physical and mental assaults, the women folk have to bear the brunt of Army atrocities on their husbands and sons," they lamented. An Army team had recently gathered both the males and females of Kumariyagaon in the district, in the field of an LP school there and tortured some of them in the open. Some "innocent" youths were also handed over to Sarabhog police, they said.