Photo Courtesy: nenow
Guwahati: Assam police detained scores of protesters on October 8 as political unrest gripped the state. Congress party members and Raijor Dal activists took to the streets in separate actions to challenge the government. The atmosphere turned hostile in Guwahati as demonstrators breached police lines.
Congress supporters gathered at Rajiv Bhawan to protest police treatment of opposition MPs in New Delhi. The MPs had demanded the resignation of Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged electoral roll irregularities. During the Guwahati march, former state Congress president Ripun Bora and Mahila Congress chief Mira Borthakur Goswami were detained. Scuffles broke out at the barricades. A Congress leader reported that Bora suffered leg injuries requiring stitches. “It is our democratic right to protest, and the government cannot take it away,” Bora stated as he scaled a barricade.
Protests spread beyond the capital. Similar demonstrations occurred in Dibrugarh, Diphu, Nagaon, Nalbari, and Charaideo. Activists burned effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Chief Election Commissioner. The party vows to maintain pressure until their demands for the commissioner's resignation are met.
Meanwhile, the Raijor Dal faced its own crisis. Party workers marched toward Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's residence to demand flood relief for Upper Assam. Led by Akhil Gogoi, the group carried black flags. Tensions exploded when police detained leaders Dhaijya Konwar and Bidyut Saikia. The party claims officers used excessive force. They allege that Ananta Arandhara sustained a serious injury to his private parts when police grabbed him. Other protesters suffered head and chest injuries during the chaotic arrests.
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