E-Paper
Senior Assam cop shot during anti-drug operation, airlifted to Guwahati: Police
A 55-year-old senior Assam Police personnel was shot twice by suspected drug peddlers on Tuesday night near the Assam–Manipur border in Cachar district
A 55-year-old senior Assam Police personnel was shot twice by suspected drug peddlers on Tuesday night near the Assam–Manipur border in Cachar district, following which he was airlifted to Guwahati in critical condition on Wednesday, police said.
The incident took place in the Diglang area of Jirighat around 8 pm during an anti-drug operation.
The injured policeman, identified as Havildar Sharif Hossain Kazi, was initially taken to Silchar Medical College and Hospital (SMCH).
“Kazi sustained two bullet injuries, one in the abdomen and another below it, causing severe trauma. He was first taken to SMCH, but on Wednesday morning he was airlifted to Guwahati for advanced treatment,” Cachar senior superintendent of police Sanjib Saikia said.
The anti-drug operation was launched based on specific intelligence inputs about the movement of drug peddlers, who are suspected to have come from neighbouring Manipur, Saikia said.
A video of the injured personnel circulated on social media showed him seeking help from locals to contact his seniors. Some locals alleged that Kazi had been sent alone to confront the peddlers and was not in uniform.
However, Saikia denied the allegation, saying a full team was deployed and that some personnel were in plain clothes as part of the operation.
“We have specific methods to tackle drug networks, especially in inter-state operations. The peddlers opened fire on the team, and after a brief exchange, they fled into the forest, taking advantage of the darkness,” he said.
No one has been arrested so far. The suspects escaped through the dense forest and across the inter-state border. A search operation is underway, and further investigation is in progress.
Cachar shares a sensitive and porous border with Manipur, and officers said similar confrontations between drug traffickers and security forces have been reported previously. A police team, including the SSP, recently reviewed security arrangements in riverine and vulnerable stretches along the border.
