Raijor Dal chief and an MLA from Assam’s Sivasagar, Akhil Gogoi on Friday flagged the actions taken by the Sivasagar administration to forcefully make leaders of regional organizations sign bonds according to which these organizations will not be able to organize protests for the next one year.
Akhil Gogoi called it a blatant attack on the fundamental constitutional right to protest against decisions taken by the elected government and compared it to the time when Indira Gandhi-led Centre had plunged the nation into Emergency.
According to the Sivasagar MLA, the leaders of regional organizations are being called in to appear before the Executive Magistrate Jiwan Krishna Goswami where they are being forced into signing bonds that take away their right to protest for the next year.
In a post on social media, Akhil Gogoi wrote, “A repeat of the state of emergency is taking place in Assam. It is a terrible incident that was unheard of before. I heard that such incidents happened in India during the Emergency (1975-77). It has started again during the Himanta Biswa Sharma government, during the BJP-RSS rule.”
“In the past few days, the leaders of various organizations in Assam have been summoned by the Sivasagar administration and made to sign a bond saying they will not be able to continue the agitation for the next year,” Akhil Gogoi added.
He took the names of five leaders who were coerced into signing the bonds. They are Chitu Baruah, state president of Assam Sangrami Sena, Rantu Paniphukan, principal secretary of state of Bir Lachit Sena, Debajit Dutta, state president of Sangrami Yuba Chatra Parishad, Prasanta Borgohain, district president of Asomiya Yuba Mancha and Anupam Handique, distrct general secretary of Bir Lachit Sena.
Akhil Gogoi said that these leaders informed him that they were told to either sign the bonds or be put behind bars. The bonds compel them to not organize agitations and incite the masses with their speech to hold protests.
“First, the police called Anupam. No notice was served to him. He was brought before Executive Magistrate Jiwan Krishna Goswami and made to sign the bond. The next four were summoned under Section 107 of the CRPC. They got the bond signed. Today, the principal secretary of the Bir Lachit Sena also signed the bond,” Akhil Gogoi wrote in his post.
He further wrote, “This is the BJP-RSS’ Assam. This is Himanta Biswa Sarma's government in Assam. This is Assam today. This is the change. This is agitation-free Assam!”
Akhil Gogoi further questioned, “Do you want an Assam without freedom of speech? Do you really want an Assam without democratic rights? Do you want a state without protest; where free killings will be committed daily by the state, where prices will rise daily but you will not be able to raise your voice, where public resources will be handed over to capitalists daily, where illegal syndicates will continue but you cannot call them out, where conspiracies against the country, nation and people will continue every day but you will be forced to keep your mouth shut.”
Sharing a copy of the alleged bonds, Akhil Gogoi further asked the people to come out and speak against this “dictatorship” in his post.
