Mob of alleged cattle lifters attacks police team in Kailashahar

In a shocking incident, a group of alleged cattle lifters attacked a police team and drove them out of a village under the Irani police station in Kailashahar subdivision of Unakoti district, raising serious concerns over law and order in the area.

Sources said that the accused openly hurled abuses at the police, shouting slogans like “Police, you are corrupt” and threatening that they would cross over to Bangladesh if prevented from stealing cattle. The situation escalated when the miscreants, along with their family members, allegedly armed themselves with sharp weapons and sticks and attempted to assault the police personnel, including the Officer-in-Charge (OC). The police team somehow managed to escape from the village to save their lives.

The incident took place in the Srinathpur Gram Panchayat area, which falls under Irani police station and the prime accused, identified as Mukid Mia, is a resident of the same village and reportedly has multiple allegations against him, including cattle theft.

On April 1 last, a police team led by OC of Irani police station, Biraj Debbarma, accompanied by a large number of police forces including TSR personnel, went to Mukid Miah’s residence for questioning. However, they were met with resistance, verbal abuse, and eventually an attempted physical attack by Mukid Miah and his associates, forcing the police to retreat.

What has further intensified public concern is that even after nearly five days since the incident, no action has reportedly been taken against the attackers or the alleged cattle thieves. Locals say the police have remained silent, leading to widespread panic and raising questions about the administration’s response.

It may be recalled here that in recent weeks, Irani police had begun making progress in tackling cattle theft cases in the Kailashahar subdivision. On March 29, police seized two cattle along with a luxury vehicle from Hamidpur based on a tip-off. Again, on March 31, another operation in Latiapura led to the recovery of two more cattle and a vehicle.

Following these operations, SP of Unakoti district, Sudhambika R had even addressed a press conference, stating that suo motu cases had been registered and investigations were underway. Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) R. Rahul and OC Biraj Debbarma were also present.

Although the vehicles and cattle were recovered in both cases, but culprits initially managed to escape. Later, police detained two suspects linked to the vehicles, whose interrogation reportedly led to the name of Mukid Miah as the alleged mastermind.

Despite these developments, the lack of action following the attack on police has triggered serious questions among the public. Residents are now asking why no steps have been taken against the accused, even as senior IPS officers oversee the district and subdivision. Police officials have so far declined to comment on the matter.