Guwahati: Ashwin Kumar Mahanta, a senior spokesperson of Assam Congress, alleged he was bitten by a police officer during a scuffle in Guwahati on Friday.
The Congress organised a protest march in response to the death of party leader Mridul Islam, who passed away after succumbing to illness triggered by tear gas fired by the police during a "Raj Bhavan Chalo" march on Wednesday.
“We had taken out a march today to pay homage to him when we were stopped by the police. Soon, an Assam Police Service officer targeted me. He pulled me and bit me on my shoulder. I was wearing a coat,” Mahanta alleged.
The Congress shared a video of him narrating the incident. He showed exactly where he was “bitten” and demanded justice.
“I know the police officer but cannot recall his name,” Mahanta said in the video.
After the incident, he and several other Congress leaders were taken to the Hockey Stadium and detained.
“I was going through excruciating pain. I repeatedly requested the police to take me to a hospital. Later, they took me to one. A doctor prescribed medicines and an injection,” Mahanta told TNIE.
“The police wanted me to buy the medicines but I said why I should because I was bitten by their people. Eventually, I was brought back to where I was detained. I haven’t still got any medicines,” he said, adding, “I will visit a doctor after I am released.”
The police have not yet responded to the allegation. Senior police officials could not be reached for comment.
Several Congress leaders, including the party’s state chief Bhupen Kumar Borah, were detained by the police. Youth Congress national president Uday Bhanu Chib was put in “preventive detention”.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma slammed the Congress for allegedly trying to create unrest in Guwahati.
“For the past few days, the Congress has been trying to create a situation where the police are forced to open fire. There is a contest going on among two-three Congress leaders to emerge as a bigger leader and in that contest, they have held the people of Guwahati to ransom,” Sarma told the media.
“Political parties cannot be agitationists. Their agitation should be in the election boxes (EVMs). They (Congress) want to create unrest but we won’t allow this to happen,” he added.