𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐞–𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐡 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐃𝐢𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐡 ,𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐯𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬

A night patrol organised by villagers to prevent cattle theft led to a tense situation with the police in Assam’s Dibrugarh, where officers fired shots in the air to control a crowd in the early hours of Friday.

The incident occurred at Maijan New Village after residents accused the police of not taking action against repeated thefts in the area.

Cases of cattle and goat theft have been increasing in several parts of Upper Assam, causing fear and unrest among locals.

Villagers said thefts had been taking place for more than a week. As a result, local youths decided to stay awake at night during the New Year period to keep watch.

Around 3 am, they noticed a suspicious vehicle moving through the village. When they tried to stop it, the people inside allegedly attempted to escape.

After the road was blocked, the vehicle stopped, but the occupants refused to come out. The villagers then informed the police.

The situation worsened after the police arrived and allegedly allowed the vehicle to leave without questioning those inside. This angered the villagers, who accused the police of protecting cattle thieves and began protesting.

As tensions rose and some villagers moved towards the police, officers fired shots in the air to disperse the crowd.

Additional police personnel were deployed to bring the situation under control.

A local resident claimed that thieves often arrive in different vehicles and steal cattle directly from cowsheds. He alleged that due to police inaction, villagers were forced to organise the vigil themselves.

He further claimed that instead of addressing their concerns, the police responded with gunfire.

The police have not released any official statement so far.

However, villagers said the incident highlights continued neglect of the growing cattle theft problem in the region.