Ripun Bora dares Himanta Biswa Sarma to prove Congress hand in violence during protests

Our leaders are being arrested without even filing FIRs against them: APCC

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI: APCC (Assam Pradesh Congress Committee) president Ripun Bora has dared State Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to prove Congress’ hand in violence in the recent agitation against the CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act).

Addressing a press conference at Rajiv Bhawan here on Wednesday, Bora said, “Showing some video footages minister Himanta Biswa Sarma wants to prove ‘forcibly’ that the Congress was involved the recent violence in front of the Janata Bhawan. He’s cooked up a story to defame the Congress. A Congress leader shaking hands with a person among the agitators doesn’t mean that the Congress has a hand in the violence. In the recent meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the CAB in New Delhi, a delegation of the AAMSU (All Assam Minority Students’ Union) also took part. At that meeting minister Himanta Biswa Sarma was seen to shake hand with the AAMSU leaders. Should we cook up a story out of that? The fact remains that we’ve been agitating against the CAA right from the beginning, and we’ll continue to agitate.”

On Sarma saying that the government is going to form an SIT (Special Investigation Team) to inquire into the violence in the recent agitation, Bora said, “We’ve told Sarma to get it probed with a sitting judge of the Supreme Court of India. He said that an intellectual was the mastermind of the violence in front of Janata Bhawan. Why doesn’t he name the intellectual? Does he want to blackmail the intellectual to derail the democratic agitation?”

On the announcement of 50,000 jobs and ex gratia of Rs 50,000 each of the artistes in the State, Bora said, “These are nothing but baits from the government to silence the voice against the CAA.”

Meanwhile, Bora has alleged that Congress leaders are being picked up and arrested at night without even lodging any FIRs against them. “We’ve already met the DGP on this issue, besides submitting a memorandum to the Chief Secretary requesting him not to allow the use of state administration against the protesters and the Congress,” Bora said, and added that a delegation of the party would also meet the AHRC (Assam Human Rights Commission) later in the day. He said that the party is also going to meet the Governor on this issue.

Ripun Bora said that the APCC is going to stage a statewide protest against the CAA on Thursday.

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