They Handcuffed Me Before Section 307 Was Even Imposed: Shankar Jyoti Baruah

Former All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) General Secretary Shankar Jyoti Baruah was freed from Dibrugarh Central Jail today after the Gauhati High Court granted him bail on Monday. Baruah’s statement upon release has raised serious questions about procedural lapses during his arrest.

Addressing the media immediately after his release, Baruah said, “They claimed to have handcuffed me under Section 307, but at the time, that section had not been imposed on me. I had only posted on Facebook, which led to 11 sections being applied later. The Section 307 notice was served to me only at 5 pm, after I was brought to court in handcuffs. This clearly shows that the law was misapplied during my arrest.”

Baruah extended his gratitude to Assam’s media fraternity and the people of Duliajan, stating, “I thank the media for investigating and publishing legitimate news, and every organization and individual who stood for dignity and justice. While I am still unaware of the full developments outside, it is because of this support that I am free today.”

His arrest followed a violent altercation at the B.N. Singh petrol depot in Duliajan, leading to two separate cases against him and stirring sharp political debate across the state. The Gauhati High Court approved his bail upon furnishing a bond of Rs 30,000.

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