The Goalpara district in western Assam is used to the imposition of Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure because of ethnic and communal flare-ups. Officials have now used the Section, primarily used to prohibit people from assembling in public places, to stop trucks from parking along a national highway bypassing district headquarters Goalpara, about 160 km west of Guwahati.
“Apart from preventing unlawful assembly, Section 144 can be imposed to meet any emergency requirements. In this case, the order has been promulgated to prevent trucks from parking along the highway and causing inconvenience to the local people,” said Ghanshyam Dass, Goalpara’s deputy commissioner.
The order, issued on May 21, was based on complaints from people residing along two stretches of the highway – Damra to Dudhnoi and Dhupdhara to Krishnai.
District officials said imposing Section 144 specifically for trucks is not common, though the authorities in adjoining Meghalaya had once used the Section to stop overloading of trucks.
The Goalpara district, central to the demand for a tribal (Rabha) council, has had a history of clashes between tribal and non-tribal people, specifically migrant Muslims.
Six years ago, the district witnessed a conflict between the Rabhas and Garos, two tribal groups spread in parts of Assam and Meghalaya.
