A day after Rahul Gandhi-led Congress workers clashed with Assam police personnel on the Guwahati city limits, party president Mallikarjun Kharge wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, seeking his intervention to ensure the security of Gandhi and other participants of Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra.
The development comes after Assam Police filed an FIR against Gandhi and other Congress leaders for the clash. They have been charged with criminal conspiracy, unlawful assembly, breach of peace, among others.
The case was filed after Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the “naxalite tactics” used by Congress workers are “not part of Assamese culture”.
Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh shared a copy of Kharge’s letter on Twitter, highlighting the party’s concerns about the “atmosphere of fear and intimidation” allegedly created by the Assam government.
In his letter to the Home Minister, Kharge listed “several instances where the Assam Police has been found wanting in providing adequate security” Gandhi is entitled to as a Z+ protectee. He then referred to the defacing of Congress posters and BJP workers blocking the Congress yatra on January 21 and assaulting state party chief Bhupen Borah.
“In all of the troubling events mentioned above, the Assam Police has systematically stood by and/or allowed BJP workers to come closer and closer to the convoy of Shri. Rahul Gandhi, breaching his security cordon, and endangering his physical security and that of his team,” Kharge wrote.
The letter further requests the Chief Minister and Director General of Police, Assam, to take all necessary measures to prevent any further untoward incidents that could lead to physical harm.
Congress leaders have been alleging that Sarma has been creating hurdles in the yatra. A clash on Tuesday at Guwahati city limits took place when police stopped Congress workers from moving on city roads. The administration had earlier denied permission for the yatra to move through the city’s arterial roads, citing congestion fears. Congress workers termed the grounds for denying permission frivolous and tried to break through the barricades, leading to the clash with cops.
Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra
The Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, which began on January 14 from Manipur’s Imphal and is set to cover 6,700 kilometres ending in Mumbai, aims to address social, economic, and political issues while uniting the weaker sections of society.
The Congress has positioned the yatra as a platform to voice opposition against what they describe as the anti-people policies of the Narendra Modi government, including the handling of labor laws and the alleged misuse of central investigation agencies against opposition figures.