Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI: Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that various organizations of the state that raised their voices at the harassment of a girl at Sivasagar should raise their voices as and when there are such harassments to girls elsewhere in the state, especially in central and lower Assam.
Speaking to the media today, the Chief Minister said on the Sivasagar incident that the Marwari community people tendering an apology for the incident should not be viewed as something lowering their self-respect. “If need be, I shall also tender an apology if that prevents something ominous from happening,” he said.
“In this case, the organizations came out as the issue was related to an Assamese girl. In an incident when a Marwari lady doctor hailing from Tinsukia had to lose her life in the Assam Medical College, Dibrugarh, these social organizations did not raise their voice,” the Chief Minister said.
The Chief Minister said, “In the past two months, around 22 tribal girls have had to face physical harassment in the lower and central Assam districts. These organizations should have raised their voice against the accused in these incidents as well.”
On the ULFA-I, the Chief Minister said, “The ULFA-I still has its influence in Assam, but reduced to its minimal. Even now, around 400 cadres of the ULFA-I have been staying in its Myanmar camps. I’m trying on my part to have peace talks with ULFA chief Paresh Baruah. He wants talks on the sovereignty of Assam. However, no government can hold talks on the sovereignty of a state. Tension will continue to prevail in the state to an extent so long as there is no peace dialogue with Paresh Baruah. However, there shouldn’t be any explosion in Assam, as that will push the state back on the development front.”
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