Guwahati Police arrest 7 Congressmen over Dec 28 clash

On a eventful day in Assam politics, while seven Congressmen were arrested in connection with the December 28 clash with BJP supporters, BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma displayed a show of strength by mobilising thousands of supporters.

The former state minister who joined the BJP last August, accused the Congress government of the state of snooping on him and feared his arrest.

Sarma’s claims came after the Congress lodged a police complaint saying he was the mastermind behind the clash in Guwahati.

On Thursday, Sarma gathered thousands of supporters following his return to Guwahati after three days.

 While being away, he created lot of buzz on the social media saying he would be arrested once he comes back and that the state government is illegally keeping him under surveillance. Sarma was though not arrested and the Guwahati Police arrested instead seven Congress workers and leaders. These arrests came after the BJP accused the Assam Police of being partisan.

 Ten BJP workers and leaders were earlier arrested in connection with political clash in Guwahati.

The clash of December 28 took place when the BJP workers were protesting in front of the state Congress headquarters here against Congress leader Nilamoni Sen Deka’s derogatory remarks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani.

Meanwhile, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Thursday said Union Minister of State and state BJP president Sarbananda Sonowal’s calling the state police as ‘Congress’s fiefdom’ was derogatory and despicable.

“Sonowal’s statement castigating the police force by terming it as Congress’s fiefdom is derogatory and despicable. Such a comment is a slur on the image of the police force that has been always at the services of the people.

 It demoralises the morale of the police force,” he said, adding the improvement in the law and order situation in the state even drew applause from Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.
DH News Service