Based on a complaint by Lok Sabha MP Abdul Khaleque, a Guwahati court has directed the police to register a case against Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
Khaleque alleged that the CM made inflammatory remarks over an eviction drive.
Initially, the Congress MP approached the Dispur police station to file an FIR against the Assam CM but got denied. Later, he had to approach the court regarding this case, Shamim Ahmed Barbhuyan said on Monday.
After this, Biswadeep Baruah, the Judicial Magistrate of Sub-Divisional court, on Saturday directed the Dispur police station to file the case based on Khaleque’s complaint.
According to Khaleque, CM Sarma had stated that the eviction exercise at Gorukhuti in Darang district was revenge for the incidents of 1983; when some youths there were killed during the Assam Agitation.
Barbhuyan told PTI that Khaleque had filed the complaint on December 29 at the Dispur police station, but it did not register any FIR.
In the order, the court said, “The O.C. Dispur P.S. is directed to register a case on the allegations mentioned in the complaint and investigate the matter fairly and to submit the Final Form at the earliest.”
“The veracity of the allegations is not something which can be inquired into before registration of the FIR. By failing to even register the FIR, it appears that the police has failed in the discharge of its duty.”
The MP accused the CM of making communal statements against the Muslim community while justifying the eviction drive at Gorukhuti in September.
“Betraying his oath on the Constitution, the Hon’ble Chief Minister Dr. Sarma has maliciously given a communal color to what was supposed to be an executive exercise,” the complaint said.
The “rampant human rights violations” at Gorukhuti were preceded by multiple utterances of Sarma, who targeted the particular community, Khaleque alleged.
“The hate created by the Hon’ble Chief Minister’s constant denigration of the Muslim community manifested itself in the egregious acts of a civilian,” he added.
Around 1,200-1,400 houses were razed to the ground on September 20 and 23 in Dhalpur I, II, and III villages in Gorukhuti, leaving over 7,000 people homeless. Village markets, mosques, and madrassas were also bulldozed.
The eviction drive, which passed peacefully on the first day, was conducted amidst stiff resistance by the locals on September 23, leaving two dead in police firing.
