Guwahati: Police detained several Congress functionaries during a protest outside the Rajiv Bhavan in Guwahati on Thursday against the crackdown on opposition leaders in New Delhi a day earlier, where demonstrators had demanded chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation.Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) organised protests across Assam on Thursday against the Delhi Police action against Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi, MP Priyanka Gandhi and other INDIA bloc MPs.The protests, coordinated with district and block Congress committees, were observed as a ‘Black Day’. The party demanded accountability from the Election Commission, transparency in the electoral process as well as protection of citizens’ voting rights.Several senior Congress functionaries were injured in a clash with police in the city. Former APCC president Ripun Bora suffered a leg injury, while All India Mahila Congress secretary Barnali Phukan alleged that her clothes were torn during police action.Police detained APCC general secretary (organisation) Ramanna Baruah, Assam Pradesh Mahila Congress president Mira Borthakur, Seva Dal chief Deep Bayan, Phukan and former MLAs Binanda Saikia, Satyabrata Kalita and Aminul Islam. Several other Congress workers were also allegedly manhandled and detained.They were taken to the 4th Assam Police Battalion headquarters in Kahilipara here and held until around 5.30 pm.“Former APCC President and former MP Ripun Bora was seriously injured during the police action and intense scuffle. He sustained severe injuries as police personnel forcibly dragged him out. He was immediately rushed to Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), where he received four stitches on his leg and was admitted for medical treatment,” Assam Congress said in a media release. It added that several other Congress workers also suffered injuries to their chest, abdomen, and legs during the police action.Guwahati City District Congress Committee, backed by Pradesh Congress, took out a protest rally from the Rajiv Bhavan. Police barricaded the route and tried to stop the march as protesters raised demands for protecting voting rights and ensuring electoral transparency. Congress alleged that police used force when the protesters attempted to cross the barricades.Protest rallies were also held by district Congress committees in Karbi Anglong, Nagaon, Golaghat, Dibrugarh, Dhubri, Barpeta, Bongaigaon and Goalpara, among other places. Condemning the police action, Congress leaders said the use of force against protesters was an attack not only on individuals but also on democracy and the constitutional right to dissent.
