Assam Police on Thursday filed a case against organisers of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, including Rahul Gandhi’s associate KB Byju, for allegedly violating prescribed routes in Jorhat town.
Police claimed rally leaders deviated from assigned directions and took unknown paths, disrupting traffic flow.
They accused organisers of inciting crowds to break barricades and attack on-duty officers. However, the Congress refuted allegations saying there were no police arrangements at a key traffic point. Senior leader Debabrata Saikia called the FIR a ploy to derail the high-profile march in election-bound Assam.
He stated the assigned route was inadequate for the large gathering and a minor detour was taken. Saikia blamed CM Sarma for being “scared of the yatra’s success on Day 1 itself in the state”.
The pan-India rally entered Assam, covering 17 districts over 833 km before proceeding to Meghalaya and West Bengal. The overall plan eyes a 6,700 km march across 15 states over 110 days – concluding in Mumbai.
The police crackdown has stoked fresh political tensions even as enthusiastic crowds continue thronging the Congress show of strength passing through the state this week.
