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Assam’s finance minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced on Tuesday a special investigation team (SIT) will probe violent clashes that rocked the north-eastern state and alleged a major conspiracy behind the vandalism outside the state secretariat on December 11 by protesters opposing the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA).
Sarma blamed a section of the Congress and “urban naxals” for the violence. This came even as police claimed that activist Akhil Gogoi, who is charged with sedition, worked closely with Maoists to foment violence.
“Some sections of Congress specifically called their cadre to assemble before the Janata Bhawan and indulge in different anti-social activities. The plan was to burn down the Assam Secretariat (Janata Bhawan)… Had it happened Assam would have entered into its darkest phase,” Sarma said, claiming that he had electronic evidence.
Hundreds of protestors laid siege outside the state secretariat on December 11 as part of statewide demonstrations against the CAA, which they feel will open the floodgates for refugees into the north-east. The next day, four protestors died in alleged police firing.
“The Janata Bhawan attack was a deadly combination of so-called urban naxals, People’s Front of India and a section of the Congress party,” the senior cabinet minister alleged. The PFI is a prominent Islamic organisation with offices in multiple states.
Sarma also blamed an unnamed academic for the violence and said he will request home minister Amit Shah to ask the Central Bureau of Investigation to lead the probe.
The Congress rubbished the allegations. Demanding chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal’s resignation, Congress leader Debabrata Saikia termed it a witch hunt against Congress workers taking part in peaceful protests. “The Congress has never supported violence and will never do,” Saikia said.
In his press conference, Sarma clarified that none of the prominent student groups leading the statewide protests were suspects. “I would like to reiterate AASU, Assam Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chhatra Parishad or any other leading socio-culture, student organisation was not involved,” Sarma said.
The SIT will be headed by deputy inspector general (CID) Mridulananda Sarmah and the state government will also urge the Centre to depute an officer either from the CBI or the NIA for six months to help in the investigations, he added.
Sarma’s comments came on a day broadband internet was restored in Assam after six days and curfew lifted in capital Guwahati. Government officials said the administration will assess the security situation before taking a call on lifting curbs on mobile internet on Thursday.
Earlier in the day, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) produced activist Akhil Gogoi before a special NIA court in Guwahati, which remanded him to 10 days in custody.
One of Gogoi’s lawyer said he was booked under Section 120 B (criminal conspiracy), 124 A (sedition), 153 A (unlawful association) and 153 B of the Indian Penal Code and Section 18/39 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
“Over the period, we had inputs that Akhil Gogoi, his associates, and some unidentified persons have been working in close coordination with Maoists trying to spread the Maoist functioning in the state of Assam,” said GP Singh, Assam’s additional director general of police.
“We also had inputs that they were behind the conspiracy that led to the recent violence in Assam,” said Singh. “As part of that violence we registered a case and, since provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act were incorporated in the case, we forwarded it to NIA as per procedure. After due diligence, the NIA found it fit for investigation,” Singh said.
Gogoi denied the allegations.
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