Assam: Suspected drugs peddler shot at while escaping from police custody

A suspected drugs smuggler was shot at while allegedly trying to escape from police custody in Assam's Kokrajhar district, officials said on Tuesday.

Two suspected drug smugglers were arrested and 308 kg of ganja worth Rs 70 lakh were seized from a truck near the Srirampur inter-state border with West Bengal on Monday, Additional Superintendent of Police SS Panesar said.

During interrogation, one of the accused revealed that he had concealed more packets of ganja near Bishmuri. While being taken to the spot, he allegedly attacked the police and attempted to escape into the nearby jungle, the officer said.

The police chased him and fired at his leg, injuring him, he said.

He was taken to the Kokrajhar Civil Hospital from where he was shifted to the Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed Medical Medical College and Hospital in Barpeta.

Meanwhile, the truck from which the ganja was seized was set ablaze by persons who are yet to be identified, police said.

An investigation into the incident is underway, they said.

Altogether 32 people have been killed and at least 56 injured in police firings since the Himanta Biswa Sarma-led BJP government assumed office in May this year.

The opposition has been alleging that the state police has become "trigger-happy" but Sarma maintains that the police have "full operational liberty" to fight against criminals within the ambit of law.