Was It Congress? Truth Behind CM Sarma’s Convoy Attack in Golaghat

The political heat in Assam’s Golaghat district has intensified following the bottle-throwing incident targeting Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s convoy, with the Congress party alleging a systematic crackdown and defamation campaign by the state machinery. The incident, which took place amid a protest against the controversial Gir cow issue, has led to multiple arrests, sparking widespread condemnation and demands for an impartial probe.

In the aftermath of the incident that occurred near the Golaghat District Congress Office, four Youth Congress workers — Rupantar Tanti, Parthasarathi Bora, Rahul Saikia, and Trishna Chutiya — were detained on the very day of the event. However, questions are now being raised over the legitimacy of the police action.

Speaking exclusively to Pratidin Time, Congress member Trishna Chutiya revealed that they were detained before the incident even occurred. “We were detained ahead of the incident and were kept in lockup for 24 hours and then released. It was a complete mental harassment. Moreover, the attack was not carried out by any of the Congress members, it was done by some unidentified miscreant,” she stated.

Chutiya pointed out that the video footage of the bottle-throwing fails to clearly identify the perpetrator, raising doubts about the police's narrative. “So it is a pure conspiracy to defame the Congress party and divert the Gir cow controversy surrounding Assam minister Jayanta Mallabaruah. The young individual who was picked up yesterday was also not involved in the attack, he came to Golaghat to watch a movie. Another individual Rahul Phukan who was detained is also innocent as he was not there on the day of the incident,” she said.

Calling for a proper investigation, she added, “Many Congress workers were picked up for the issue without having any concrete evidence against them over throwing the water bottle. This is a pure conspiracy against us by the ruling party.” While refraining from direct comment on the Gir cow issue, Chutiya affirmed her party’s commitment to fighting injustice.

Adding further insight into the chain of events, Congress leader Parthasarathi Bora told Pratidin Time that the District Youth Congress had organised a protest focused on the Gir cow controversy, especially since Minister Jayanta Mallabaruah was accompanying the Chief Minister for a scheduled event in Golaghat. Bora stated that he and District Congress President Rupantar Tanti were detained before the CM’s convoy even passed by the protest site.

“After one hour, when the convoy passed the Congress office, someone from the crowd hurled the water bottle targeting the chief minister’s convoy,” he said, adding that his party does not support such actions. “We don’t support such kind of practices, anyone found guilty on this issue should be arrested… we don’t support this and the administration has the right to punish the culprits.”

Despite these arrests, Bora said, there is still no clarity on who actually threw the bottle. “There are lots of suspects in connection to the case and many individuals have already been picked up for interrogation.”

So far, nine individuals have reportedly been detained, of which two have been arrested, and three more are expected to be arrested soon. Notably, no concrete evidence has emerged yet linking the detained Congress members directly to the incident.

On the legal front, Inspector Mintu Handique of Golaghat DEF filed an FIR against the Youth Congress members, accusing them of staging a hostile protest during two VVIP programmes in town. According to the FIR, Youth Congress workers were waving black flags and attempting to move onto the main road when police confined them to the Congress Bhawan.

At around 1:20 PM, a green 1-litre plastic bottle was allegedly hurled from the Congress Bhawan toward the convoy of Agriculture Minister Atul Bora, striking a KIA vehicle in the convoy (Reg. No. AS-01GF-6600). The FIR described this act as part of a broader “criminal conspiracy” aimed at threatening the authority of the democratically elected government and jeopardizing the sovereignty and unity of India.

The Youth Congress members are being booked under multiple serious sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, including:

• Section 61(2): Criminal Conspiracy

• Section 191(2): Rioting

• Section 196: Promoting enmity between different groups

• Section 152: Act endangering sovereignty, unity, and integrity of India

• Section 352: Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace

The escalation has triggered political backlash. Senior Congress leader Mira Borthakur slammed the state police for what she described as random arrests without identification of the real culprit. Sharing a slow-motion clip of the incident, Borthakur said, “Throwing a bottle at the Chief Minister's convoy in protest is never acceptable. But at the same time, it is equally wrong for the police to randomly arrest people without properly identifying the actual culprits. The slow-motion video tells a slightly different story.”

She added, “Let us focus on whether there will be a real investigation into the Gir cow matter. If the Chief Minister keeps deflecting with talk about beef-eating during Eid, the truth will never come out. We need a proper judicial probe — only then will we know from which holes the snakes are coming out.”

Borthakur further expressed concern about the decline in political discourse. “It’s disturbing to see how low politics has fallen, that a Chief Minister would go to such lengths, saying provocative things to cover up a serious issue, is deeply disappointing. They’re already frustrated. We don’t need to add fuel to the fire,” she warned.

As the controversy grows, Golaghat police have named Dhanti Deka, also known as Dipankar Deka, a Congress member from Bokakhat, as the prime accused in the bottle-hurling incident. He has been arrested, and interrogation is ongoing under the supervision of Additional Superintendent of Police Bibhash Das.

However, Deka’s alleged involvement has also been challenged by Congress insiders, who maintain he was in Golaghat to watch a movie and had no role in the incident.

As calls for transparency and accountability mount, the incident has turned into a political flashpoint in Assam, exposing a deepening trust deficit between the ruling BJP and opposition Congress amidst larger controversies engulfing the state.

Also Read: FIR Filed Against Youth Congress Members After Protest in Golaghat

Also Read: Bottle Thrown at CM Convoy: Congress Slams "Random Arrests", Says CM Dodging Gir Cow Scandal