At least four persons were killed and several others injured when police opened fire on a large group protesting against jute farmers at Besimari weekly wholesale market along national highway no 52 in Assam's Darrang district on Monday.
Police informed that the trouble started on Monday morning between jute farmers and buyers when they allegedly refused to pay adequate price to the farmers. The farmers claimed that they were being previously paid Rs 1500-1600 per quintal by the Jute Corporation of India, but the buyers were ready to pay only Rs 1000 per quintal, leading to altercation between the two sides.
The area has sizeable land under jute cultivation and the Jute Corporation of India also has its office there. The farmers blocked the national highway blocking traffic.
A police team led by a deputy superintendent arrived at the market to persuade the farmers to clear the road and adopt another means of protest. The administration also sought some more time to sort out the price dispute.
However, the angry protestors started pelting stones at the police team. DSP Fakrul Islam was badly injured after he was hit by a stone on the chest. Other policemen were injured too. As the situation went out of control, police opened fire to control the mob, which resulted in the death of four farmers and injuries to several others.
The injured were rushed to the civil hospital at Mangaldai, the district headquarter, while the seriously injured DSP was rushed to Guwahati Medical College hospital in Guwahati.
