The Congress party’s protest in Dispur took a heated turn today as workers attempted to gherao Janata Bhawan in Guwahati. The agitation, aimed at seeking justice for Congress worker Mridul Islam, who died during a police crackdown involving tear gas shelling earlier this week, saw heavy intervention by the Assam Police.
Prominent Congress leaders, including Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) President Bhupen Borah and senior leader Ripun Bora, were detained by the police along with other party workers. They were taken away in a police vehicle as tensions continued to rise at the protest site.
In defiance of the police, several Congress workers staged a sit-in on the road, refusing to disperse. The situation further escalated when protesters clashed with the police, attempting to break through barricades set up in front of Janata Bhawan.
Meanwhile, Indian Youth Congress (IYC) President Uday Bhanu Chib, who traveled to Guwahati to join the protest, was detained at his hotel early this morning. According to a statement from the IYC, Chib and his colleagues were placed under “preventive custody,” with their mobile phones confiscated.
Condemning the actions of the Assam Police, Chib said, “This morning, I and other Youth Congress colleagues were detained from a hotel in Guwahati as if we were terrorists. Our mobile phones have been confiscated. We came here to seek justice for martyr Mridul Islam, but the murderous Assam Police will not accept this.”
The IYC further accused Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma of suppressing dissent. “What is the Assam Chief Minister hiding? Under which law were Congress leaders arrested like terrorists after police barged into the hotel at 5 a.m.?” read a statement from Chib’s office.
As the protest continued into the afternoon, party workers persisted in marching toward Janata Bhawan, defying police efforts to control the situation. The incident has drawn sharp criticism from opposition leaders, accusing the government of suppressing democratic rights and misusing police forces to curb dissent.
