GUWAHATI: The CID of Assam Police has summoned a Congress MLA and another leader of the party for questioning in connection with the January 23 violence during the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, which Rahul Gandhi led, in Khanapara area of Guwahati.
The Congress confirmed the notices of summons were issued to MLA Jakir Hussain Sikdar and Guwahati city Congress general secretary Ramen Kumar Sarma. The CID asked the duo to appear before it at 11:30 am on February 23.
“In exercise of the powers conferred under sub-section (1) of Section 41A of CrPC, I hereby inform you that during the investigation of FIR…registered at Police Station Basistha, it is revealed that there are reasonable grounds to question you to ascertain facts and circumstances, in relation to the present investigation…Hence, you are directed to appear before me at 11:30 AM on 23/02/2024 at CID police Station, Ulubari, Guwahati,” the notice issued by an inspector read.
Earlier, the case was registered under various IPC Sections, some of them non-bailable. Several state and national Congress leaders, including Gandhi, were named in the FIR. The party criticised the government for the summons.
“We did not cause any damage to public property but some non-bailable IPC Sections have been slapped against us. This is an utterly vindictive action. By doing this, they are trying to demoralise us,” Debabrata Saikia, who is the leader of Opposition, said.
Stating that the Congress respects law and those summoned will depose before the CID, he alleged the government was trying to snatch Constitutional rights to stage peaceful protests and criticise government policies.
On January 23, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had asked Director General of Police GP Singh to register a case against Gandhi for “provoking” a crowd that broke a police barricade erected to prevent the Yatra from entering Guwahati. He had equated the crowd behaviour to Naxalite tactics.
He also shared a video proof on X, formerly Twitter, to claim how Gandhi and Congress’ Assam in-charge Jitendra Singh allegedly provoked the people to attack the police personnel on duty.
Later, he said Gandhi would be arrested after the Lok Sabha elections. “We will arrest him after Lok Sabha elections. If we arrest him now, people will think it’s a political move,” he stated.
