In a serious breach of law and order, ten individuals identified as being of Bangladeshi origin were taken into custody on Monday in Assam's Lakhimpur district. Their arrest follows a brazen mob attack on police personnel, orchestrated to free a man wanted for allegedly posting content in support of terrorism online.
A Planned Assault to Free the Accused
The incident traces back to December 27 in the Bongalmora area. Acting on specific intelligence, a police team had tracked down and detained Baharul Islam. Islam was a wanted man, sought for social media posts that expressed support for the Pahalgam terrorist attack. He had been evading arrest since a case was registered against him earlier this year.
As officers prepared to transport him from the Sonapur area, the situation turned violent. A mob of more than ten people surrounded the police team. They launched a physical assault on the officers, beating them severely before forcibly pulling Baharul Islam from custody and helping him escape.
Lakhimpur Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Gunendra Deka described the incident as "a planned assault." He stated that the group, led by one of the arrested individuals, Atabur Rahman, specifically targeted the police to secure Islam's release.
Police Injured and Widespread Arrests
The attack left police personnel injured, with Sub-Inspector Gokul Joyshree and the police vehicle driver sustaining serious wounds. Following the assault, a case was registered under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
In a swift follow-up operation, police arrested ten individuals in connection with the attack. The arrested persons have been identified as:
- Afazuddin
- Ikramul Hussain
- Fakhruddin Ahmed
- Noor Hussain
- Gulzar Hussain
- Nazrul Haque
- Kazimuddin
- Md Abdul Hamid
- Bilal Hussain
- Atabur Rahman
Authorities noted that several of those arrested have prior criminal records. SSP Deka confirmed that the search for the fugitive, Baharul Islam—who was earlier involved in a fake gold case—is intensifying, and more arrests in the case are imminent.
Community Context and Ongoing Tensions
The incident has triggered significant outrage and drawn attention due to the community background of the accused. The attackers are described as "Miya" people—a term often used to refer to Bengali-speaking immigrant Muslims of Bangladeshi origin in Assam.
This community, estimated to be over one crore strong, has long been at the heart of the state's complex and often volatile anti-foreigner agitation that peaked in the 1980s. The current event underscores the persistent social and political sensitivities surrounding issues of identity and immigration in the region.
SSP Deka elaborated on the initial case against Baharul Islam, noting, "After the Pahalgam attack, several people posted on social media supporting the act. One such person was Baharul Islam, who used a fake account." The police's action highlights the ongoing monitoring of online spaces for content that glorifies or supports terrorist activities.
