Lynching incident: Gogoi blames the Central forces

As the lynching of a rape accused after being dragged out of Dimapur's central jail sparked outrage, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Saturday held central security forces responsible for the incident and demanded safety measures for people of his state residing in Nagaland. "The security in the jail was under central security forces who failed to stop the lynching. It is the Centre which is responsible for ensuring security of the inmates," Gogoi said outside the state assembly where Opposition members demanded steps for ensuring safety of Assamese people, reports PTI.

Meanwhile the body of Syed Farid Khan, who was beaten to death by the mob on March 5, was brought to his native Bosla village in Badarpur of Assam's Karimganj district. His family claimed that he was framed in the case and the girl was known to them and had demanded some money from Khan. The deceased's brother also denied reports that they are Bangladeshi nationals saying his late father was in the army and his two other brothers are jawans in the force.

A high alert has been sounded throughout Assam to prevent any untoward incident and to ensure the safety and security of Naga people in Assam in the aftermath of the incident.

The Nagaland government has kept paramilitary forces on standby to instill a sense of security among non-Naga communities of the state but there was no flag march. Home Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to Nagaland Chief Minister T R Zeliang and asked him to ensure safety and security of people and take steps to maintain law and order.