GUWAHATI: A First Information Report (FIR) has been lodged suo-moto by Guwahati City Police against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for assault on government servants during the Congress’ Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Guwahati on January 23, a press release from the Guwahati Police Commissionerate said. The charges included disobedience to the legal order of public servants, violation of permission conditions, and obstruction to government servants while discharging their lawful duties. The Congress had planned a ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’ from Meghalaya towards Kamrup (rural) through Guwahati city, police said. To avoid any inconvenience to the public, permission was given to carry the Yatra through the Khanapara bypass-Koinadhara- Basistha Chariali- Beharbari-Lokhra Chariali-Gorchuk Chariali-Boragaon Chariali-Jalukbari upto Saraighat bridge through National Highway subject to clear-cut condition that they cannot enter the congested areas of the city through any route and that the Yatra will pass through only approved route, they added. Sufficient security measures were also put in place to ensure that no untoward incident happens as Rahul Gandhi is a Z+ ASL CRPF Protectee on an all-India basis category and changing the approved route would have jeopardized the security of the protected, police said. Also, the program was approved by all stakeholders including members of Congress during Advance Security Liaison (ASL) meeting conducted on January 21 with all stakeholders, they added. However, when the Yatra arrived near Khanapara Traffic point on NH-27, to utter surprise of the administration, the leaders of the Congress headed by Rahul Gandhi, Jitender Singh, KC Venugopal, Jairam Ramesh, Srinivas BV, Kanhaiyya Kumar, Gaurav Gogoi, Debobrata Saikia, Bhupen Bora, Jakir Hussain Sikdar, Ramen Kumar Sarma and others instigated the crowd with a criminal conspiracy and took them towards Guwahati city by deviating from the approved route and thus violating the agreed upon ASL terms and the permission given by Guwhati City Commissionerate, police said. As a result, the crowd turned violent, and unruly and the unlawful assembly further proceeded towards GS Road (Guwahati City) thereby obstructing the public way, that is, NH 37, the release said. Despite advisories to adhere to the designated route by senior Police officers present, the crowd instigated, led, and participated by senior Congress leaders forcefully changed the course towards the GS Road by breaking the barricades erected by police and assaulting Police personnel performing lawful duty, police said. Although the Police tried to persuade the leaders and the crowd to carry out the event as per ASL, the leaders bluntly refused and incited the crowd with inflammatory words to break the barricades and change the route. As a result, the crowd became violent and four Police personnel including SI Tirtha Deka of Basistha PS got injured and one Police personnel namely LNK45 Babul Hajong of 8th Assam Police Battalion sustained grievous injuries. An FIR has been registered at Basistha Police Station under Sections 120(B), 143, 147, 188, 283, 353, 332, 333, and 427 of the Indian Penal Code and Section 3 of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act and is being investigated, the release said.
