GUWAHATI: The Assam police on Wednesday arrested RTI activist and peasant leader Akhil Gogoi for allegedly instigating people to take up arms and slapped the charge of sedition against him.
Police said a case under sections 120(B), 121, 124(A), 109, 153 and 153(A) of the Indian Penal Code was registered on the basis of speeches made by Akhil Gogoi and United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) pro-talks leader Jiten Dutta at a public rally on Tuesday.
Police said Akhil Gogoi, who is a leader of the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samitee, and Jiten Dutta “instigated the common people to wage war against the nation and also delivered speeches against communal harmony. They also announced that they would use arms to fulfil their demands including hangdangs (machetes) and AK-47 rifles”.
The public rally which Akhil Gogoi and Jiten Dutta addressed was organised to protest against the central government’s move to amend the Citizenship Act, non-implementation of the Assam Accord, lack of constitutional safeguards for the protection of indigenous people in the state, a recent attack on surrendered ULFA men in Nagaon.
IPC Section 121 deals with “waging, or attempting to wage war, or abetting waging of war, against the Government of India”. Punishment under this section is death or life imprisonment.
The charge under IPC 124(A) is sedition. The section states: “Whoever, by words, either spoken or written, or by signs, or by visible representation, or otherwise, brings or attempts to bring into hatred or contempt, or excites or attempts to excite disaffection towards, the Government established by law in India, shall be punished with imprisonment for life, to which fine may be added or with imprisonment which may extend to three years, to which fine may be added, or with fine”.