Silchar: An Assam Police Battalion jawan suffered multiple bullet injuries after suspected drug smugglers opened fire on a police team during an anti-drug operation in Cachar district late Tuesday night.The injured jawan, identified as Sarif Hussain Kazi, was part of a police team conducting an operation in the Diglang Punji area under Joypur Police Station, close to Assam’s inter-state border with Manipur.According to police sources, the operation was launched on the basis of specific intelligence inputs regarding the movement of a suspected drug cartel operating along the border belt.The team, led by the Lakhipur co-district SP, came under heavy fire from the smugglers during the raid, triggering an encounter.Taking advantage of the darkness, the miscreants fled from the spot, sources said.Confirming the incident, Cachar SP Sanjib Kumar Saikia said the police team was carrying out an anti-drug operation when the firing took place. “The co-district SP led the team in an anti-drug operation under Joypur Police Station. The whole team was there on the ground when the fire was opened. We have launched a counter operation, and action will be taken as per law,” Saikia said.Sources said Kazi was found lying on the ground in a pool of blood after the exchange of fire. He was first taken to Burrows Memorial Christian Hospital in Lakhipur, where doctors confirmed bullet injuries and referred him to Silchar Medical College and Hospital (SMCH) for advanced treatment.Kazi was admitted to the trauma centre of SMCH. Hospital and police sources said his condition remained critical and he was shifted to Guwahati on Wednesday for better medical care.Police have intensified search operations in the area to trace the attackers.
