Overview
- The victim, 26-year-old Buddheshwar Garh from Bogapani Tea Estate, was a sanitation worker from the Adivasi tea community and reportedly active in the BJP.
- Garh was allegedly assaulted at Digboi’s Chariali Bazar after an accusation of stealing fish and later died at Digboi Civil Hospital.
- Police named and arrested five suspects — Shero Khan, Sonu Bhattacharjee, Bikram Sahani, Ajit Ali and Ramajan Khan — who are in custody, with the case registered under BNS provisions including murder and unlawful assembly.
- Tea garden workers and Adivasi organisations staged a sit-in at the Digboi CHC and blocked National Highway 38 for hours, closing markets and delaying the transfer of the body for post-mortem until authorities gave assurances.
- Senior officials, including Co-DSP Himangshu Gohain, oversaw heightened security as investigators review CCTV footage from the market to identify additional suspects.