Assam: Muslim businessman says police threatened to kill him in ‘encounter’, slap ‘jihadi link’; IPS officer, cops arrested

The Assam Crime Investigation Department has arrested nine people, including an IPS officer and five other policemen, in response to allegations by a Muslim businessman that they were trying to extort money from him, threatening him with a staged “encounter,” and justifying his killing by accusing him of terrorism.

Businessman Rabiul Islam alleged that the police in Bajali district wrongfully detained him and told him to pay Rs 2.5 crore, The Indian Express reported on Tuesday.

Islam alleged that the cops threatened to kill him in an “encounter” and justify his killing by accusing him of having “links with Pakistani and Bangladeshi jihadi elements.“

The businessman said the threats were made by a man who claimed to be an “encounter specialist.”

The arrestees Siddhartha Buragohan, a 2014 batch IPS officer, Deputy Superintendent of Police (HQ) Pushkal Gogoi, Additional Superintendent of Police Gayatri Sonowal, her husband Subhas Chander, Sub-Inspector Debajit Giri, and constable Injamamul Hassan, according to The Indian Express.

The three others arrested were one Kishore Baruah, and police drivers Nabir Ahmed and Dipjoy Kalita.

In his complaint, Islam alleged that the police officers punched and kicked him “for at least two to three hours”, searched his house without a warrant, and took a number of belongings.

“They asked me to run, and they told me that they are going to shoot me with their handguns as per directions of the Director General of Police, Assam. At that time, another person who came down from another car, which was following us, came near me and told me in Hindi to accept that I have links with jihadi elements and I have illegally acquired all my properties,” he said.

“(policeman) took out one hand gun and tried to shoot me and demanded an amount of Rs 2.5 crore from me. He told me that he is an encounter specialist and if I do not pay the said amount, he will kill me and the police will show it is an encounter by showing that I have links with Pakistani and Bangladeshi jihadi elements,” read the complaint.