DIBRUGARH: Assam police on Friday arrested two persons in connection with the suicide of an animal rights activist in Dibrugarh.
The two persons identified as Baidullah Khan and Nishant Sharma were arrested on the charge of abetting the suicide of animal rights activist Vineet Bagaria.
A team of Dibrugarh police on Friday arrested them from Lumding. Two more accused Sanjay Sarma and Izaz Khan are still absconding.
On Thursday, Vineet Bagaria allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself at his residence at the Shani Mandir Road in Dibrugarh.
The incident has sparked massive reactions in Dibrugarh town. On Friday, locals staged a protest in front of Dibrugarh police station for an hour demanding capital punishment of the culprits.
The protesters raised slogans ‘Dibrugarh police go back’ ‘SP Murdabad’.
They also demanded the suspension of the Dibrugarh police station officer in charge.
“We demanded capital punishment for the culprits. Despite filing multiple complaints against Sanjay Sarma and Baidullah Khan, police did not take the case seriously. Vinnet tried hard to get justice but when he failed to do so, he took the extreme step,” said a protester.
Carrying posters and banners seeking ‘justice for Vineet’ large numbers of people gathered at his residence to pay tributes to Bagaria.
A protest march with his body was taken out on Dibrugarh street, where a large number of people took part.
Before his death, Vineet had recorded a video where he accused Baidullah Khan, Sanjay Sharma and Nishant Sharma of physically and mentally harassing him and his family over some rented property.
Vineet’s father Kailash Kumar Bagaria, a chartered accountant of Dibrugarh town filed an FIR at the Dibrugarh Police Station on Thursday evening naming the three persons responsible for his son’s death.
Vineet’s death had caused widespread outrage in the town as he was quite popular for his accommodative nature.
He was often seen in the streets of Dibrugarh feeding stray dogs and taking care of abandoned and sick animals.
Vineet was the co-founder of Animal Welfare People (AWP), an NGO, which takes care of stray dogs.
His group had rescued many dogs which were injured in accidents. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Vinnet had fed many stray dogs. His love for animals has encouraged youngsters to join the NGO.
Sources said that for the last several years there has been a dispute going on between Vineet’s family and Baidullah Khan.
Vineet’s father is said to have given a space on the ground floor of his residence on the Shani Mandir Road to Sanjay Sharma to run a business but he had allegedly sub-let the space to Baidullah Khan who then opened a motorcycle spare parts shop.
Angry protesters on Friday closed down their shops.