Guwahati: West Bengal intellectual Garga Chatterjee, who caused a stir by terming Ahom dynasty founder Chaolong Sukaphaa as a "Chinese invader", has offered his "unconditional" apology on Twitter.
Earlier today, Chatterjee posted a video containing his apology statement along with the caption, "I express my unconditional apology to the people of Assam, the Tai Ahom community and to Honorable CM of Assam @sarbanandsonwal or any hurt in sentiment that I may have caused unintentionally through social media post. My apology statement video is below."
In the video titled 'Unconditional apology to people of Assam by Garga Chatterjee', the Bengal scholar apologizes to the people and Assam and hails the Ahom ruler Sukaphaa, whom he has been accused of 'insulting.'
"In the future, I will never make any social media post that may hurt the sentiments of the people of Assam", Chatterjee says in his video.
The scholar then goes on to say that his father has been diagnosed with cancer and his mother has been stricken with fractures.
Stating that he has not made any social media post since June 19, Chatterjee says that his "whole time is spent with concern for his dying and ailing parents." He also said that he is ready to take down the social media posts that have hurt the sentiments of the people of Assam.
Saluting the work done by the Assam government and police force during the disaster period of floods and coronavirus, Chatterjee says he hopes he will be forgiven for the controversial remarks.
Chatterjee exhorted the Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal (who had tasked the Assam Police with arresting him) and the people to forgive him so as to save his family from "destruction."
The Kolkata scholar earned the wrath of the denizens of Assam for taking potshots at the Government as well as the amid ongoing tensions with neighboring China.
Chatterjee, who has a verified Twitter account, took to the micro-blogging site amid the anti-China sentiment prevailing in the country, to write a series of tweets denouncing the famed Ahom ruler. During his tirade on Twitter, the Kolkata man had also chided Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal for celebrating Sukapha's birthday (termed as Ahom Diwas).
Afterwards, an Assam Police team was sent to Kolkata to bring him to book, but they were unable to do so (allegedly due to a lack of cooperation from the Kolkata Police).