Assam government has ordered a CID inquiry into the killing of an alleged robber in an "encounter" with police in Udalguri district on Friday in a case of mistaken identity.
The inquiry was ordered by Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma after confusion prevailed over the identity of the deceased and the Opposition Congress called it a case of "extra judicial killing" by the state police.
The state police said based on specific information about a robbery attempt, an ambush was laid by police on February 24 at Dhansirikhuti Daifang village in Udalguri district in North Assam.
At around 10.30 am, two individuals came in a motorcycle and one of them opened fire at the police team when being stopped. Two policemen, a constable and a sub-inspector, were injured in the attack and one accused died in retaliatory firing by police.
Police said last rites of the accused were subsequently performed at Natun Panbari village in the district on the same evening after his mother and brother identified the body as that of Kenaram Basumatary.
Police said Kenaram was a former NDFB militant and was wanted in several robbery cases in the district.
But next morning, family members of Dimbeswar Muchahary came to the office of SP, Udalguri claiming that the body was that of Muchahary and not Kenaram.
The family submitted an application with a request for exhumation of the body for DNA examination.
"It is a fact that the accused had first opened fire at our police personnel in which one constable and a sub-inspector were injured. The accused died when our policemen retaliated in self-defence. But it looks like officials in the deputy commissioner's office, who performed the in-quest, hurriedly came to a conclusion about the identity of the deceased. But since there is a confusion about the identity of the deceased, I have asked the director general of police G P Singh to conduct a thorough inquiry into the entire incident by CID and submit a report," Sarma told reporters in Guwahati on Tuesday.
Police said Dimbeswar Muchahary was also wanted in several robbery cases in the district. Police further said Kenaram was absconding.
Udalguri is a district under the Bodoland Territorial Region.