One dead, two injured in encounters with police in Assam
A man accused of a fatal robbery in central Assam’s Nagaon district was killed in a shootout with police on Monday (May 25, 2026), hours after two men allegedly involved in collecting extortion money for a banned extremist outfit were injured in a similar incident in east Assam’s Sivasagar district.
Partha Pratim Das, Senior Superintendent of Police, Nagaon, said the police nabbed an armed gang at a place in Borkandoli area where they were planning a burglary.
In self defense
“The gang members opened two rounds of fire when our team approached the spot. The police retaliated in self-defence and one person sustained bullet injuries in the shootout,” he told reporters.
The injured man, identified as Khairul Ali from Assam’s North Lakhimpur town, was rushed to Nagaon Medical College and Hospital but died on the way.
Police said the other members of the gang fled after the 2am clash, but a 7.65 mm pistol, two empty cartridges, a machete and an iron rod were recovered from the spot.
Accused in a burglary case
Ali was allegedly among the main accused in the April 24 burglary case at the house of doctor Ranjit Saikia in Morikolong area of Nagaon district. The doctor’s wife Ruprekha Bhuyan died two weeks after robbers attacked them with sharp weapons.
Seven other members of the gang involved in the incident have been arrested so far, Nagaon police said.
Their Sivasagar counterparts said they encountered a group of six men who had come to Molagaon on Sunday (May 24, 2026) to collect ₹8,000 from a businessman after sending him an extortion notice. They allegedly worked for the banned United Liberation Front of Asom (Independent).
“The suspects opened fire, which triggered retaliatory fire,” a police official said.
One of the suspects, identified as Ritu Gogoi, sustained five gunshot wounds. Another, identified as Jitu Gogoi, was hit in the stomach by a bullet.
Police said the remaining members of the group were on the run.
The two meetings within 24 hours were the first after Himanta Biswa Sarma was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Assam for the second consecutive term. During his first term, from May 2021, more than 50 people were killed in clashes.
Raijor Dal president Akhil Gogoi, who was campaigning for one of his party candidates ahead of the April 9 assembly elections, accused the chief minister of killing 80 people through fake encounters.
Published – 26 May 2026 21:33 IST