DIBRUGARH: Ten people were arrested on Monday for allegedly attacking a police team and forcibly freeing a man accused of posting pro-terrorist content online during a planned mob assault in a village in Assam’s Lakhimpur district.
The incident occurred on December 27 in Bongalmora village, when police tracked down Baharul Islam, who was wanted for allegedly sharing social media posts in support of the Pahalgam terror attack. Islam had been absconding since a case was registered against him earlier this year.
According to police, the arrested accused—Afazuddin, Ikramul Hussain, Fakhruddin Ahmed, Noor Hussain, Gulzar Hussain, Nazrul Haque, Kazimuddin, Md Abdul Hamid, Bilal Hussain and Atabur Rahman—are of Bangladeshi origin, with several having previous criminal records.
Lakhimpur superintendent of police Gunendra Deka said Islam had used a fake social media account to post content supporting the attack. Acting on specific intelligence, a police team traced him to the Sonapur area of Bongalmora and detained him.
As officers prepared to take Islam into custody, a mob of more than 10 people allegedly surrounded the team, assaulted them, and pulled the accused free. “The attack was led by Atabur and was clearly pre-planned,” Deka said.
Sub-inspector Gokul Joyshree and the police vehicle driver sustained serious injuries during the assault. A case has been registered under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Islam, who was previously arrested in a separate case involving fake gold, has since gone underground. Police said efforts were underway to trace him and that further arrests were likely in connection with the incident.
