Bishramganj: Feb 10. Police have registered a case at Kalamchoura Police Station following a violent attack by ganja cultivators on a joint operation conducted by Tripura Police and Assam Rifles. A high-level investigation is underway, while the accused ganja mafia members have reportedly gone underground.
Contrary to initial reports circulated in a section of the media claiming the operation was conducted solely by Assam Rifles, officials clarified that the raid was a joint operation. The operation was led by Deputy Commandant Manohar Lal of the 35th Assam Rifles Battalion and Inspector Sukanta Das from Sepahijala Police Headquarters.
According to police sources, Kalamchoura Police Station had been informed about the operation a day earlier from headquarters. However, questions are being raised over why local police personnel were not present at the spot from the very beginning of the raid.
When the operation began around 9 a.m., ganja mafia members allegedly launched a sudden attack on the police and Assam Rifles personnel. This raised serious concerns about whether the attackers had received prior information about the operation. Speculation has also emerged regarding possible internal leaks.
As the situation turned violent, the security personnel were forced to fire blank rounds in self-defence. In the attack, one police constable and four Assam Rifles constables were injured. The injured have been identified as Police Constable Suman Majumder from Sepahijala Police Headquarters and Assam Rifles constables Rinku Singh, Khangam Singh, Rajesh Singh, and Pawan Kumar.
To regain control of the situation, the joint forces fired around 20 rounds. Taking advantage of the chaos, ganja traffickers allegedly blocked the security forces at one location and used village back routes to move thousands of kilograms of dried ganja out of the area.
Later, during counter-action by Assam Rifles personnel, five local individuals were injured. Following this, a section of local residents staged a road blockade by burning fire in the Kalamchoura area. The blockade was eventually lifted after the Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) reached the spot and held discussions with the protesters.
In connection with the incident, Inspector Sukanta Das lodged a complaint at Kalamchoura Police Station. A case (No. 11) has been registered under Sections 132, 191(2)(3), 121(2), and 109 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Sub-Inspector Biswajit Debbarma has been appointed as the Investigating Officer.
Based on video footage from the scene, the administration has identified 20 individuals who were allegedly seen leading the attack. Most of them are reportedly relatives and associates of notorious ganja trafficking kingpin Apu Das. Police investigations have also revealed the involvement of several individuals from the Boxanagar area, accused of instigating the attack.
For investigative reasons, police have not disclosed the names of the accused but confirmed that arrests will be made soon.
