'Strange people' visiting Assam, will be arrested if they 'cross limits': CM Himanta Biswa Sarma

Guwahati: Claiming that some "strange people" from different parts of the country were visiting Assam, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said they will be arrested if they "cross limits".

Speaking to reporters at the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), where he went on Monday night following the death of a newborn, Sarma said these people were advocates from Mumbai and Kerala.

"We are keeping a track of them. They had also come when the NRC was being updated in the state, and spoiled the entire exercise. During the NRC process, the government did not pay much attention to these visits, but now we are keeping an eye on each one of them, and if they step beyond the limits of the rules, they will be arrested," he said.

"We will not tolerate any fundamentalist activities or politics on sensitive issues, whether they come from Kerala, Mumbai or Delhi. These are fundamentalists who promote and protect activities of certain sections," he added.

A four-day-old infant died at the GMCH on Monday morning after being found hanging from the wires of a medical device inside the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). With the newborn's family members alleging negligence against the on-duty staff, the state government ordered an inquiry into the incident.

Sarma said it was a case of negligence, and an inquiry committee has been constituted to take strong and effective action against those found to be guilty.

The CM, meanwhile, alleged that during the NRC process, "these people" created false records by taking advantage of the same names of individuals and entering the names of those who did not deserve to be on the list.

He claimed that the creation of "false kins" of people who already lived in the state from before had happened due to the "brain of some individuals, like social activist Harsh Mander".

"These issues have come to light now. During the last five years, we have found many such anomalies, and we are now ready to submit the same to the Supreme Court," he said.

Sarma said a team from the BBC had visited Uriamghat, the place where the largest eviction drive took place recently, but "we did not allow them to enter the forest area".

"We had made it absolutely clear that to enter the forest, one would need prior permission. We are taking actions bravely this time, and we will not allow any individual or group to take advantage of these issues," he said.

Without naming Congress MP Gourav Gogoi directly, Sarma alleged that his Farm2Food NGO was funded by Hungarian-American investor George Soros, and stated that the initial funding for the University of Science of Technology, Meghalaya (USTM) also needs to be examined.

"I am saying this directly, and they can file a case against me. A lot of politics involving Assam is being carried out. I did not realise this earlier as I was the health minister, but now with increased cooperation of the Centre, these matters come to our notice and we can take immediate action," he said.

Sarma alleged that AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal and Jamat-Ulema-i-Hind leader Mehmood Madani promised to build homes for those affected during the Kokrajhar violence in 2013-14, but "they did not do so with their own money but with funding from outside".

The CM said the efforts of the state government to evict encroachment will continue, and both the Supreme Court and the Gauhati High Court have already given necessary orders in this direction.