Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Bhupen Bora on Thursday slammed the Assam police for not arresting All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) chief Badruddin Ajmal despite 39 police cases were being lodged at various police stations across the state for allegedly making sexist, misogynist remarks against Hindu women last year.
Bora also stated that chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma won’t arrest Ajmal as he is the mouthpiece of the BJP party.
Speaking to the media, Bhupen Bora said, “When the chief minister earlier made a pitiful remark against our National Congress leader Rahul Gandhi questioning about his father’s identity, we had lodged a case at the Dispur police station, however, no case was registered against him. But, when our Congress Leader Pawan Khera made a comment on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Delhi police had stopped him from boarding the flight at New Delhi airport after a case was registered against him at the Haflong police station in Assam's Dima Hasao district.”
Bhupen Bora also alleged that there are several pending cases against leaders of Congress who have now joined the BJP party at the Chief Minister’s Vigilance Cell, but the state police have failed to take any action against them. “The police not only failed to take action against such leaders; rather they have also failed to fight crime amid rampant rise in robbery cases, burglary cases in the Guwahati city. They are more on to blandishing the BJP party, whereas, they are responsible for preventing crimes and disorders of any form in a society, as well as maintaining peace and harmony,” added Bora.
The APCC chief also challenged the BJP party saying that All India Congress Committee (AICC) and APCC will not sit quietly and are ready to move to the court for forceful detention of the Congress leader Pawan Khera in Delhi.
“We don’t fear anyone; neither the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) nor the Enforcement Directorate (ED) or the police. APCC is with Pawan Khera and the party is ready to fight against all democratically,” Bora added further.
It may be mentioned that Khera will be presented in a Delhi court and will be taken to Assam on transit remand.
Earlier, Congress leaders had protested after Khera was stopped by Delhi Police from boarding the plane at the airport.
In a video shared on Congress's Twitter handle, Pawan Khera said that he does not know why he was deboarded.
"I don't know. I was told that your baggage has to be checked. I said I do not have any luggage except a handbag. When I came down, I was told that I cannot go, a DCP would come. We are waiting for the DCP for the last 20 minutes. I don't know why I am being stopped," he said.
Congress leader Supriya Shrinate alleged that the Congress leaders were en route to Chhattisgarh's Raipur to attend the party's 85th Plenary Session when Khera was asked to deboard. She accused the BJP government of "dictatorship".
We were going from Delhi to Raipur by Indigo flight 6E-204. Pawan Khera, KC Venugopal, Randeep Surjewala was also with us. We were heading to Raipur for the Congress Plenary Session. Pawar Khera was taken away stating that his bag has been exchanged but he was not carrying check-in baggage. He was then told that he had been deplaned and a DSP of CISF would come and serve him notice. If this is not a dictatorship, then what is it? Would you stop people from boarding the flight? The dictator got ED raids done before the session and now the government has come down to this kind of act," she said in a video tweeted by the Congress party.
She further asked the sections under which action was being taken against Khera and said that they would not board the flight to Raipur until the Congress leader is allowed to board along with others.
"Today we were going for the Congress Plenary Sessoin to Raipur, and our colleague Pawan Khera was told that he left his luggage but he was not carrying any luggage. Then the Police came and said Assam Police has registered an FIR," Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala said.
Meanwhile, sources said that the CISF has deployed the force to handle the situation.
The Indigo Airlines issued a statement saying that a passenger was deplaned and the flight has been delayed.
