GUWAHATI: Assam witnessed 105 deaths in police firing and 48 deaths in custody from May 2016 to December 2024. The number of injured in custody and police firing was 152 and 199 respectively.
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This was informed by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is also in charge of the Home department, in his reply to an unstarred question by MLA Misbahul Islam Laskar in the state assembly on Monday, March 24.
In the police firing cases, most deaths and injuries occurred under the BJP 2.0 government in the state led by Sarma. While there were 32 deaths between May 2016 and 2020, the figure shot up to 73 between 2021, when the BJP 2.0 government took over, and December 2024. The number of injured during the period was 6 and 193 respectively.
The chief minister said that there were 163 cases registered in connection with the incidents out of which 135 have been disposed of. Of the cases, only three were registered between May 2016 and December 2020. The government paid compensation amounting to over ₹80 lakh for the deaths and injuries, the reply stated.
The Supreme Court had earlier in February reserved its verdict on a plea seeking an independent investigation into 171 alleged fake police firing in Assam between May 2021 and August 2022.
During the hearing, the Assam government, represented by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, asserted that it has been strictly adhering to the guidelines established in the 2014 Supreme Court judgment of People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) vs. State of Maharashtra, which outlines procedures for investigating police encounters.
Mehta stressed that all necessary protocols and safeguards are being followed, cautioning that unwarranted targeting of security forces could have a demoralising effect, especially given the challenging conditions under which they operate.
He questioned the credibility of the petitioner, Arif Md Yeasin Jwadder, suggesting that the allegations were presumptive and lacked substantive evidence.
Advocate Prashant Bhushan, representing the petitioner, countered that honest officers should have no fear of scrutiny. He presented statements from individuals injured in police firing and from relatives of those deceased, indicating potential fabrications in the reported encounters.
Bhushan urged for an independent committee, led by a retired judge, to investigate these incidents, focusing on the necessity for transparency and accountability.
The Supreme Court bench, comprising Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh, acknowledged the gravity of the allegations but clarified that it would not delve into the merits of each police firing case.
Instead, the Court's focus remains on ensuring compliance with the guidelines set forth in the 2014 PUCL judgment, which mandates procedures such as the immediate registration of a First Information Report (FIR) and an independent investigation by a specialised team in cases of police firing-related deaths.
The petitioner has challenged a January 2023 order from the Gauhati High Court, which dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) concerning the alleged fake Assam Police firing cases.