Guwahati: Violent protests broke out outside the Baksa District Jail in Assam on Wednesday after the five accused in the Zubeen Garg death case were brought to the facility under heavy police escort.
In the wake of escalating tension, the district administration imposed prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) to prevent further unrest.
The situation turned volatile when an agitated crowd gathered outside the Baksa district jail premises, demanding that two of the accused – festival organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta and Zubeen Garg’s manager Siddharth Sharma – be presented before the public.
The mob resorted to stone-pelting, injuring a female police officer and damaging several vehicles in the police convoy.
Security forces resorted to the use of batons to disperse the protesters, and multiple individuals were detained for unlawful assembly.
District Magistrate Gautam Das promptly issued an order restricting all forms of public gatherings, rallies, demonstrations, and processions within a 500-metre radius of the Baksa jail.
The order also bans the carrying of weapons such as lathis, daggers, spears, and swords, along with the throwing of stones or any inflammable materials, including firecrackers.
The directive cites apprehensions of “breach of public peace and tranquillity owing to an unrest situation observed near the District Jail, Nikashi, Baksa”, and warns that any violation will invite strict legal action under the relevant provisions of law.
The prohibitory measures came into immediate effect and will remain in force until further notice.
Authorities confirmed that the court directed Mahanta and Sharma to be lodged in Baksa District Jail instead of the Guwahati Central Jail, citing security concerns and the need for enhanced surveillance.
The other three accused, Sandeepan Garg, and personal security officers Nandeshwar Bora and Paresh Baishya, were also remanded to judicial custody and brought to the same facility.
Additional security personnel have been deployed around the jail complex, and the area remains under strict monitoring.
The Superintendent of Police, Baksa, has been tasked with enforcing the prohibitory order through all police stations and outposts in the district.
Officials said the situation, though tense, is now under control, and residents have been advised to avoid the vicinity of the jail until further notice.
Earlier in the day, the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Court in Kamrup district sent all five accused to 14-day judicial custody.
The Court also ordered police not to keep the accused in Guwahati Central Jail for security reasons. Following the Court’s directive, Baksa Central Jail was chosen by the police to keep the five accused in the Zubeen Garg death case.
(IANS)
