GUWAHATI, March 13 ? Though the Minister of State for Home, Sri Pradyut Bordoloi today clarified the Government?s stand on the issue of ?secret killings? by giving a statement in the State Assembly, the opposition Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and the All Assam Students? Union (AASU) are not convinced about the Government?s sincerity on the issue. Sri Bordoloi, in his statement, said that some sensational killings took place in the last few years and the media termed the incidents as ?secret killings?. He said that the Government instituted a judicial probe by former Gauhati High Court judge, Justice Meera Sarma to enquire into eleven such sensational killings, the pattern of which was same. Those include killings of four persons in Barama on August 12, 1998 and the killings of Dijen Haloi, Phulen Haloi, Dipak Chodhury, Jyotish Sarma, Dimba Rajkhowa, Rajesh Misra and Rajiv Koch. The judicial probe committee has been asked to enquire into the circumstances leading to the incidents, identity the killers and conspirators. Pinpoint the responsibility and suggest measures to prevent occurance such incidents in future.
However, the Asom Gana Parishad has alleged that the Government was not serious on the issue. Addressing a press meet after the House session today, AGP legislators Zoii Nath Sarma and Sarbananda Sonowal demanded that the Government should make the terms of reference of the judicial probe penal public. They pointed out that all the killings, the responsibility of which was not claimed by anyone, were termed as secret killings and asked the Government to clarity on what basis only eleven killings were selected for probe. They also pointed out that the killings and attacks on the AGP leaders should have been included in the preview of the probe.
Meanwhile, the president of the North East Students? Organisation (NESO) Sri Samujjal Bhattacharya, who is also the adviser of the AASU alleged that the Government was trying to give protection to those involved in secret killing. In a statement today, Sri Bhattacharya said that secret killings took place during the tenure of the AGP government under Government patronage. The present Government has also hatched a plan to go for secret killings he alleged. He also demanded that those involved in teh secret killings must be brought to book.