Protests against Dimapur lynching, Assam truckers stop plying to Nagaland

GUWAHATI Mar 7, 2015 (Agencies) Truckers in Assam on Saturday stopped plying their vehicles from here to Dimapur and other parts of Nagaland in protest against the lynching of a rape accused in Nagaland's commercial hub Dimapur on Thursday.At least 17 truckers' bodies in Assam said on Saturday that the protest will continue until the victims' family gets justice. "The killing of Syed Farid Khan, a Dimapur based businessman from Assam, is an inhuman act. The Nagaland government must provide adequate compensation to the family of the victim and ensure that no other traders or businessman of Assam is harassed in Nagaland," said a member of the All Assam Truck Owners' Association. The truckers' bodies also complained about the harassment of truckers by several sections in Nagaland, particularly by the militant outfits on ceasefire in the form of illegal tax collection."Apart from paying the mandatory tax to the government of Nagaland, we have to pay to all the militant outfits in different locations while ferrying goods including essential commodities. We have intimated this to the authorities in Nagaland as well as in Assam several times. However, nothing have changed," he said.Apart from truckers' bodies, different civil society organizations have also staged protest dharnas in different parts of Assam protesting against the killing and demanding compensation to the victim's family. International Human Rights body, Amnesty International has also expressed



its concern over the killing and said that members of the mob who lynched the rape accused must be brought to justice urgently.Nagaland orders probe into lynching of rape accused"This is a serious lapse in the criminal justice system. The Nagaland government must ensure that every person who was part of the mob is brought to justice. Failure to do so will send the message that anyone can commit outrageous abuses and attempt to justify them as an expression of public anger," said Shemeer Babu, Programmes Director at Amnesty International India.It may be mentioned here that a mob on Thursday broke into the Central Jail, Dimapur and took custody of Farid Khan, who had allegedly raped a girl on February 23 and subsequently was arrested by the police and sent to judicial custody.The mob then rallied to the Clock Tower in the town from the jail with Khan, brutally thrashing him over 7 km stretch leading to his death. The mob had also strung the body to the railing of the Clock Tower for public viewing till police came and retrieved it by resorting to firing.The Nagaland government has instituted a judicial probe into the incident and suspended three top official of the district - the deputy commissioner, superintendent of police and jail superintendent - for their failure to handle the situation.The chief minister had assured security to all the non-locals in Dimapur and other parts of the hilly state and said that the culprits will be brought to the book soon.