Three civilians killed in police firing in Assam

Three civilians were killed, two of them on the spot, when the police opened fire to restore order after an irate mob went on the rampage at a panchayat poll counting centre at Mankachar in western Assam’s Dhubri district on Friday.

“Some winning candidates and their supporters took out a procession upon declaration of their results. Another group got angry over it and attacked the other group. When the security personnel tried to control the situation, the mob attacked them forcing them to open fire,” the police said.

Initially, the police used lathis to restore order. But when the mob barged into the counting centre and ransacked it, the security personnel opened fire, the police added.

Five people, including two policemen, were injured. The district administration imposed an indefinite curfew in the entire Mankachar area.