At least four persons were killed and over 50 injured when police opened fire to control a mob of protestors led by All Assam Minority Students' Union that went on a rampage in Barpeta town and inside the deputy commissioner's office beating people, damaging and burning down vehicles on Wednesday.
Three persons died of police firing at the spot while another died later in Guwahati Medical College Hospital, where seven seriously injured persons had been shifted.
Official sources informed that that over 50 demonstrators were injured, seven of them grievously, when police first resorted to baton charge and then opened fire to control the mob that set fire to scores of motor-cycles on the road as well inside deputy commissioner's office.
Police claimed that situation was brought under control only after opening fire as the unruly protestors were threatening to burn down the deputy commissioner's office.
The administration has clamped Section 144 of CrPC in the entire district where police patrolling has been intensified apprehending more trouble as a sequel to the firing incident.
Situation is stated to be tense in the district.
Thousands of people from minority community had stormed the streets of the district headquarter town in Western Assam in response to the call of the AAMSU protesting 'anomalies' in updating the National Register of Citizens in the district under a pilot project.
Opposition Assam Gana Parishad president Chandra Mohan Patowary condemned the police firing on the AAMSU demonstrators and suspected a design behind it to stymie the process of updating the NRC in the state.
