Tinsukia tense as locals detain 44 J&K men; police confirm IDs are valid
Documents showed the group is legitimately bound for Arunachal's Roing to begin contracted construction & transmission-related duties
An image of the detained individuals in New Tinsukia Railway Station. (AT Photo)
Jorhat, Nov 17: The detention of 44 men from Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) by local residents at the New Tinsukia Railway Station in Hijuguri on Monday sparked tension and prompted an immediate police response.
The group had reportedly arrived on an Amritsar-bound train and was stopped shortly after disembarking, with residents insisting that authorities verify their identities and destination.
Locals then alerted both the district police and the Railway Protection Force.
Early accounts from the detained men mentioned electric tower installation work and possible travel towards Dibrugarh.
They, however, later clarified that they were heading to Roing in Arunachal Pradesh for mason and transmission-related work.
A resident who helped detain the group told the press that they were stopped as soon as they stepped out of the station.
“When they got down, we caught them. They told us they came from Kashmir,” he said, adding that locals demanded a thorough verification.
He went on to claim that “by the looks of them we think they are not Indians”, saying identity cards could be faked and that the arrival of “44 of them together” raised concerns.
One of the detained workers, Khadim Hussain, identified himself and addressed the rumours directly.
“I’m from Jammu district, Doda. Forty-four of us have come together as we are here for mason work,” he said.
He added that the group had been working with their company for a decade, including in Uttarakhand, and that this was their first visit to Assam.
“We travelled from Delhi to Guwahati and then changed trains before reaching Tinsukia. We are going to Roing and are unfamiliar with this area,” he said.
Police later confirmed that the group’s documents had been checked and found valid.
“All the documents are valid. They are actually from Jammu and Kashmir. The 44-member group detained by locals in Tinsukia today had also been detained in Tezpur a few days earlier,” a police official said, requesting anonymity.
Verification procedures are expected to continue, but officials said the situation remained under control.