Betel nut dispute turns violent in Hailakandi; 12 detained, cop car damaged

Silchar: Tension gripped Mohammadpur village under Lala police station in Hailakandi district on Sunday after a dispute over plucking betel nuts from a disputed property escalated into a violent clash between two families.The situation turned chaotic when police personnel from the Abdullahpur outpost, who rushed to the spot to control the situation, were allegedly attacked by one of the groups. The mob reportedly vandalised a police vehicle, injuring its driver, Jahirul Islam Laskar.According to police sources, a long-standing land dispute between Siraj Uddin and his nephew Nur Hossain Laskar — both residents of Mohammadpur — took an ugly turn on Sunday afternoon. The quarrel over plucking betel nuts from trees in the disputed area quickly snowballed into a full-blown fight between the two sides.Following the attack on police and damage to govt property, Lala police station officer-in-charge Rajen Rongmei, accompanied by senior officers and a large contingent of battalion personnel, rushed to the scene to restore order.Police detained 12 people, including seven women, and brought them to Lala police station for interrogation. However, the main accused in the assault and vandalism case remained absconding, officials said.A search operation has been launched in Mohammadpur to trace the absconding suspects. Meanwhile, sources said some children were among those detained along with the women, and police are questioning them as part of the investigation.