On 21 May 2020, Safikul Islam, a poor fish trader from the Salnabari area of Nagaon district in central Assam was arrested by the state police. The police said that he was drunk, but his family states otherwise. He was on his way to the Sivsagar district for work when arrested and was subsequently taken to the Batadrawa police station. His family claims that the police demanded a duck and Rs 10,000 as a bribe for his release. Safikul’s family could get a duck but failed to secure the money immediately, without which the police won’t release him from the station. His wife somehow arranged for the money, but by then, things had turned for the worse. His family said that Safikul was beaten to death.
This brutal murder during police custody angered the family members and agitated the kin and villagers. Some of them allegedly burnt part of the Batadrawa police station in retaliation. The next day, the police arrested the family members of the fish trader and they bulldozed the hearths and homes of Safikul and those who were said to be involved in the attack on the police station. There was no notice or order produced to evict or destroy those houses. The police and administration completely misused their power and bypassed all legal procedures in carrying out the demolition the very next day after Safikul's death.
On 30 May, a prime accused, Ashikul Islam, who was said to have incited the mob violence, died in an accident while trying to escape from police custody, said officials. This is yet another example of ongoing brutality and impunity enjoyed by the police in Assam. Another person, Niraj Das, suffered the same fate at the hands of the police last year.