New Delhi: Assam chief minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, ordered a probe by the Crime Investigation Department (CID) into an alleged encounter of a “wrong person” by the state police on February 24, The Hindu reported.This is in addition to a magisterial inquiry, which is already underway. The state police claimed that “veteran dacoit” Kenaram Basumatary had died in the exchange of fire in the Udalguri district when a search party tried to foil his planned robbery attempt at No. 1 Dhansirikhuti Daifang village under Rowta police station.A day after the incident, on February 25, a family from Jengrenpara village in the neighbouring Baksa district approached the superintendent of police (SP) of Udalguri district claiming that the person killed was Dimbeshwar Muchahary alias Gobla. The family claimed that police had shot at him in a case of mistaken identity.Against this backdrop, chief minister Sarma ordered a CID inquiry to “ascertain the factual details of the incident”. He instructed the director-general of police, G.P. Singh, to conclude the investigation and submit a report within two weeks.In a statement issued late on Monday evening, Sarma’s office said an inquiry was ordered “in view of an incident that took place in Udalguri district involving the death of a dacoit”. Two policemen, sub-inspector Hira Jyoti Pegu and constable Sukumar Barman, were also injured in the incident, the statement said.According to the state police, security personnel lay in wait on February 24 night at No. 1 Dhansirikhuti Daifang village in Udalguri district to nab Kenaram. However, police said, Kenaram who was on a bike in the vicinity spotted the forces and opened fire at them. In the exchange of fire, Kenaram received fatal injuries while the other rider fled the spot. Kenaram was then rushed to a hospital and was declared brought dead by doctors, the police added.On February 25, the police said that they had handed over the body to a woman who claimed that the deceased was her son. His last rites were performed in Natun Panbari village under the Orang police station on February 24 night, the police said.It was also later revealed by the police that Kenaram was at once part of the now-disbanded extremist outfit National Democratic Front of Boroland. He left the outfit and later surrender before police, the police claimed.With another family coming forward to claim that the deceased was their kin, authorities ordered the exhumation of the dead body. The exhumation was carried out in the presence of a magistrate four days after the incident.“DNA profiling is being done to verify the claim regarding the identity of the deceased,” a police officer said, according to The Hindu.Ever since Sarma took over as the chief minister of state in May 2021, there has been a rise in the number of alleged encounters in the state. According to the Assam government’s affidavit filed before Gauhati high court on June 20 last year, a total of 54 encounters had taken place since May 2021.
