Curfew clamped in Dimapur, 22 held

TNS & Agencies

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Dimapur/Guwahati, March 8

Curfew was today clamped in Dimapur town of Nagaland and 22 people were arrested in connection with the lynching of a rape accused, a senior police officer said.

Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) G Akheto Seema said curfew has been imposed in Dimapur town from 3 pm today till 12 midnight to maintain peace.

Muslims in Nagaland and the neighbouring state of Assam protested against the lynching on Saturday and authorities put a freeze on internet and SMS phone messaging services after videos of the attack surfaced.

The preliminary medical report of the woman allegedly raped by Syed Farid Khan, who was lynched, confirms that she had been raped, the ADGP said.

Khan was arrested for raping the woman in Dimapur on February 24 and remanded in judicial custody in the Dimapur Central Jail the next day.

On March 5, Khan was dragged out of jail and beaten to death. He was today buried at his native village in Karimganj district of Assam amid tight security.

Even as rumours are doing the rounds about Muslims living in Dimapur and other parts of Nagaland being under threat in the wake of the lynching, Chief Minister of Nagaland TR Zeliang has stated that government was taking all possible steps to protect Muslims living and working in Nagaland.

A Dimapur-based businessman, Syed M Hussain, who hails from Assam and has been running a travel agency in the heart of Dimapur town for over a decade now, today said that there was no threat to Muslims whatsoever from any quarters after the isolated incident of the lynching of Farid Khan.

“I have been moving around freely and doing my work for the past few days without any worry and so have many other Muslim residents in the town. It was apparently an isolated incident when a section of the Naga society, especially from a particular tribe, gave vent to their pent-up anger against a section of suspected illegal migrants who have indulged in various anti-social activities in Dimapur areas.