GUWAHATI: A clutch of prominent Congress leaders including its state president Ripun Bora were arrested and later released today during protests to mark the first anniversary of demonetisation.
MP and Assam Pradesh Congress Committee President Ripun Bora, MLA and former Assam Minister Rakibul Hussain, MLA Rekibuddin Ahmed and several other leaders were arrested today when the the party was holding a series of "Black day" protests across the state in the form of public rallies, meetings and candlelight marches.
"We have arrested them as they did not have any permission to hold the programme. They organised a meeting and then wanted to take out a candlelight march across the city roads," Guwahati Police Additional Deputy Commissioner (East) Bibekananda Das told PTI.
All the leaders of the party have been released on personal bond, he added.
Earlier, during the day, Congress organised a public rally in the city and accused the BJP-led NDA government of "looting people's money" through the demonetisation drive.
The BJP-led government at the Centre on November 8 last year had junked high value banknotes which constituted 86 per cent of the currency in circulation.
Former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said the entire exercise was aimed at helping the corporates as none of the objectives of demonetisation has been achieved.
In a separate programme, 12 Left and Secular parties organised a sit-in-demonstration in the city on the occasion.
They said the drive was anti-people, anti-growth and was aimed at only to fulfill political ambitions of the BJP during the Uttar Pradesh elections.
The 12 parties are CPI, CPI(M), CPI(ML), SUCI (C), Janata Dal (S), Samajwadi Party, NCP, AAP, LDP, Asom Sangrami Mancha, RCPI and AIFB.