Haran Mandal, a worker at a chemical factory, did not sleep a wink last night. Mandal and his friends spent the night in deep fear, as miscreants kept pelting stones at their house.
Haran Mandal, a worker at a chemical factory, did not sleep a wink last night. Mandal and his friends spent the night in deep fear, as miscreants kept pelting stones at their house. They switched off all lights and spent the night in utter darkness and stony silence. The only impression they wanted to convey was that there was no one at home. The stone-pelting, however, continued.
Mandal had been aware of rumours of an impending attack on Assamese living in the city, but it was only on Wednesday evening that he found himself at the receiving end.
“It happened near the Lalbagh main entrance. We were returning home after buying some vegetables in the evening when a young man came running towards us and asked whether I was a Hindu or a Muslim. Then, he asked me to leave the city the moment I told him my name,” recounted Mandal. Soon after that, the attacks on his house began. “Throughout the night they kept throwing stones at our house. We didn’t dare switch on the lights. We even switched off our phones,” he said.
While Mandal was threatened with dire consequences, P Basumatary was punched on the chest. Basumatary has been in the city for less than a month and works as a security guard. This incident too happened opposite the Lalbagh main gate. “This group of youngsters came running towards me. They started punching me first. Once they stopped, they caught my collar and asked me where I was from. I told them I hail from Odisha. I felt I would get into trouble if I told them I am from Assam. That’s when I decided to go home,” Basumatary said.
According to another chemical factory worker living in Jiggani, who gave his first name as Santosh, said they ran away from the area after their friends were brutally beaten up. “I and two friends were returning home after work when a gang of 12 people surrounded us and tried to beat us up. I managed to flee, and returned with a few friends. However, the gang had left by then and my two friends were lying unconscious on the road. We took them to the hospital, had them treated, and brought them here to the railway station. They left yesterday (on Wednesday),” he said.
When asked why none of them complained to the police, Mandal said, “How can we? Not only did these men threaten us, they knew my house, name and where I worked. These were locals and we know that the police usually takes the side of locals,” said Mandal.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}