Two days after the police registered a case against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi following the directives of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa, pertaining to a clash between party workers and law enforcement during the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, the case has now been transferred to the specialised Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
Assam Police Chief GP Singh announced on X that the case has been handed over to the CID for a “thorough and in-depth investigation through a Special Investigation Team (SIT).”
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Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders are facing charges under nine sections of the Indian Penal Code, including those related to rioting, unlawful assembly, and criminal conspiracy.
During the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra led by Rahul Gandhi, Congress workers clashed with Assam police on Tuesday near the limits of Guwahati as they attempted to enter the state capital, despite the Himanta Biswa Sarma government denying permission for the Yatra to use arterial roads in Guwahati, citing it as a working day that could lead to traffic disruptions.
The state administration had advised the rally to take the national highway route to lower Assam, expressing concerns about potential traffic jams.
In response to the denial of permission, Congress workers, considering the grounds frivolous, attempted to enter the city, resulting in a high-octane drama. Around 5,000 Congress workers clashed with a heavy contingent of state police deployed to prevent the Congress rally from accessing Guwahati’s arterial roads.
Following the incident, Himanta Biswa, in a social media post, criticised what he termed “Naxalite tactics,” stating that such actions are alien to Assam’s culture. He instructed the DGP of Assam Police to register a case against Rahul Gandhi for allegedly provoking the crowd. Sarma accused Congress of unruly behaviour and violating agreed-upon guidelines, resulting in a massive traffic jam in Guwahati.
The case has now been tranferred to Assam CID.
In public addresses in Assam, Gandhi slammed Sarma as the country’s most corrupt Chief Minister, alleging that Sarma is remote-controlled by the centre from Delhi. Gandhi dared the Assam Chief Minister to register more cases against him, stating that he was not afraid.
Sarma, in response, accused the Congress MP of instigating people in the state and claimed that the Congress was attempting to destabilize Assam. He stated that they would arrest Rahul after the Lok Sabha election to avoid politicizing the situation.
Today marks the last day of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Assam before it enters West Bengal.