Congress accuses Assam Police of harassment ahead of panchayat polls, stages protest march to DGP office

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaApril 17, 2025

Over 200 Congress leaders and workers marched toward the state Director General of Police (DGP)’s office in Guwahati, accusing the Assam Police of acting under pressure from the ruling BJP to intimidate opposition candidates ahead of the upcoming panchayat elections.

The protest was triggered by the early morning arrest of Barnali Devi, a Congress candidate for the Kathiatoli Zilla Parishad constituency, and her husband from the residence of local Congress leader Ranjit Bora in Barhampur, Nagaon district.

According to Congress leaders, the raid was carried out around 4 am by a team of over 100 police personnel from Samaguri, Nagaon Sadar, and Kampur police stations. The police forcefully entered Bora’s home after initially being denied access and arrested Barnali Devi and her husband.

They were taken to Kampur Police Station, where police claimed the arrest was related to a case involving a dumper business (Case No. 58/25). Barnali Devi was later granted bail by the court.

Congress, however, alleges the arrest was politically motivated. “Barnali Devi had been receiving threats from BJP workers since she filed her nomination. Today’s raid was not about any business case—it was a deliberate attempt to harass and intimidate our candidate,” said Ranjit Bora.

Led by Assam Congress president Bhupen Kumar Borah and MP Pradyut Bordoloi, the protest march was stopped by police before reaching the DGP office in Ulubari. A tense standoff followed, with Congress leaders sitting on the road for over an hour in defiance.

Eventually, five senior leaders—including Borah, Bordoloi, and Deep Bayan—were allowed to meet with the Inspector General of Police (Law and Order) to formally complain.

Addressing the media, MP Pradyut Bordoloi condemned the raid, saying, “More than 100 policemen gheraoed the house of our block president in the dead of night. This is not law enforcement—it’s intimidation. If BJP is so confident of winning, why resort to threats, bribes, and fake FIRs?”

Bhupen Kumar Borah echoed similar concerns and came down heavily on Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma: “If the BJP is so certain of public support, why are they sending police to knock on our candidates’ doors at midnight? They’re offering bribes through middlemen, arresting candidates, and terrorizing families. This is not an election—this is a hijacking of democracy.”

He went on to say, “If police are going to act like BJP foot soldiers, they might as well replace their badges with BJP logos. The DGP owes us an answer. Are they public servants or political enforcers?”

Borah declared that the Congress will launch statewide protests at every police station if police continue to operate “as an extension of the ruling party.” He also revealed that similar incidents of harassment had taken place in Dhekiajuli, where police allegedly accompanied BJP leaders to pressure Congress candidates into withdrawing nominations.

“We are contesting these polls for the Constitution. You can arrest us, you can try to suppress us, but you can’t destroy our spirit. Assam belongs to its people—not to the BJP and its police,” Borah said.

With the panchayat elections approaching, the incident has escalated political hostilities in the state. The Congress has demanded a fair, independent investigation into the arrest of Barnali Devi and protection for its candidates.

As the battle heats up on the ground, the confrontation has raised serious questions about the role of law enforcement during elections—and whether the state’s institutions are being misused to influence the democratic process.