Guwahati: A dacoit who tried to escape from custody in Assam's Darang district on Wednesday has been killed in a police encounter. This information was given by a senior official. Adding to the latest encounter, a total of 17 accused have been killed and 31 others injured in Assam as they allegedly tried to avoid arrest or escape from police custody since the Himanta Biswa sarma government took office on May 10. The dacoit, who was the main accused in several cases, has been arrested from Kharupatia in the Dalgaon police station area. Superintendent of Police Sushant Biswa Sarma said that while being taken to the police station, he attacked a policeman and tried to escape, after which other law enforcement retaliated, killing him on the spot. The official said the deceased was the main accused in the 2014 murder of leading lawyer Binoy Kumar Ghosh (85), president of mangaldai chamber of commerce and a prominent member of the District Bar Association. His body has been rushed for postmortem at present. On August 8, a drug smuggler was killed and two others, including a police officer, were injured in an encounter with a gang of drug traffickers in Nagaon district. Unabated police encounters have accused the opposition and a section of civil society of indulging in "open killings" on police under another BJP government in the state. HC to hear on Sept 27 PIL for FIR against Rahul for disclosing identity of minor on Dalit girl rape Dacoit killed in police encounter in Assam; 3-month’s toll rises counts 17 India effectively tests DRDO-developed Indigenous Tech Cruise Missile off coast of Odisha