GUWAHATI, Aug 22: Assam Director General of Police G P Singh on Thursday requested all stakeholders to cooperate in maintaining law and order in the state, while instructions were issued to officers to take action against anyone trying to break the law.
The development came in the wake of a recent incident in which a group of Marwari leaders issued a public apology in Sivasagar district following the assault of a teenage girl by a member of the community.
“Reiterating commitment of @assampolice to strict adherence to law, I request all stakeholders to cooperate with us in maintaining L&O in the state”, the DGP posted on ‘X’.
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In a letter sent to police heads in the city, districts and all ranges, Singh said that it has been observed that in the recent past, that a few incidents of criminal acts have taken place where the victim and the accused belong to different communities.
In such cases, it is directed that police should proceed in absolute accordance with law, he said.
The DGP also advised police units, along with the police station-level citizens’ committees and the district administration to have regular meetings with stakeholders from all communities and strive to maintain amity amongst different communities.
There should be no space for resorting to instant justice or action beyond law by any section of people, he said.
The field police units shall mandatorily ensure the rule of law under all circumstances with ‘failure to do so viewed adversely and dealt accordingly’, Singh said.
“I reiterate the commitment of Assam police to absolute adherence to law and neutrality in implementation of the law,” the DGP added.
Notably, a group of Marwari community leaders had knelt down and offered ‘paan-tamul’ (betel leaves and areca nut), a traditional Assamese custom, as a part of seeking an apology.
The incident of tendering public apology by kneeling down was criticised by some sections who claimed that the law should have taken its course.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, however, urged people not to ‘politicise’ the apology as the incident was related to a girl being assaulted which cannot be tolerated. (PTI)
