Assam: Congress leaders clash with police over SI recruitment scam
' x='0' y='0' height='100%25' width='100%25' xlink%3Ahref='data%3Aimage/jpeg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wBDABALDA4MChAODQ4SERATGCgaGBYWGDEjJR0oOjM9PDkzODdASFxOQERXRTc4UG1RV19iZ2hnPk1xeXBkeFxlZ2P/2wBDARESEhgVGC8aGi9jQjhCY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2P/wAARCAAGAAkDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIE/8QAIRAAAAUDBQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAECAyEEERIFFEFjkuH/xAAVAQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADBP/EABYRAQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEAAv/aAAwDAQACEQMRAD8Aul1E26JtCTdywM5cO103iOIGHdM93r6ACkyQum//2Q=='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
GUWAHATI:
Congress leadersand workers clashed with the police on Wednesday when they were leading a protest march against the SI (sub-inspector)
recruitment scamleading to the arrest of at least 400 people.
The Assam Congresshas demanded the resignation of chief minister
Sarbananda Sonowal. The question paper leak in the SI entrance exam has become an issue for political opponents ahead of the assembly election due early next year.
Assam PCC president and Rajya Sabha MP, Ripun Bora, and deputy leader of opposition, Rakibul Hussain, were among the senior leaders to be arrested. They were leading a march from the party’s Manabendra Sarma complex in
Dispurto the
Assamsecretariat. They were later released. The state Congress has announced a gherao of the secretariat on October 5 over the same issue.
“We had planned to gherao the office of the Assam DGP, but the government did not allow it, curbing our democratic rights. Congressmen who were coming to Guwahati to protest were stopped on the way. This compelled us to lead a protest march to the chief minister’s office which is inside the secretariat,” Bora told the media.
He demanded the resignation of Sonowal, alleging that he was directly involved in the scam. “The probe cannot be impartial as long as he is the chief minister,” Bora said at a news conference.
The state Congress was also critical of the police for handing over the investigation to CBI. “When the police were involved, how can they investigate? We demand a judicial enquiry by a sitting high court judge and the CM’s resignation. We don’t have faith in the CBI, which is a puppet in the hands of BJP,” alleged Bora.
Holding up some photographs of Diban Deka, one of the prime accused in the scam, showing him with some senior BJP leaders, Bora said the ruling party cannot wash its hands of the affair.
Huge police deployment was made to control the protesters. “They violated section 144 of the CrPC and have been put under preventive arrest. There was no permission for the protest programme or the rally,” said police commissioner M P Gupta, who rushed to the spot.
Leader of opposition in the assembly, Debabrata Saikia, too demanded the CM’s resignation. He said that Sonowal should seek a fresh mandate from the people in view of the government’s failure to fulfil major electoral promises and the exposure of multiple recruitment-related scandals, including the latest SI recruitment scam under the home department.
He termed the police action of barging into the Congress office campus to beat up the protesters as an assault on the Constitutional rights of the people to assemble and protest peacefully and demanded an enquiry.
Saikia said that after coming to power, the state government has been depriving eligible youths by operating illegal syndicates pertaining to recruitment in various government departments and the SI recruitment scam is the latest example. “The racket is being operated from the CM’s secretariat and various leaders and workers of the BJP are involved,” he said.
VIRAL NEWS
MORE
Fewer animal sacrifices in Assam temples during this year’s Puja
GUWAHATI: The upcoming
Durga Pujamay see
fewer animalsacrifices this year to avoid crowding at temples in view of the raging pandemic.
The Billeswar Devalaya, where nearly 50 buffaloes would be sacrificed every Duga Puja, will witness only one buffalo sacrifice this year. Other revered temples and Shakti peethas will also see a drastic fall in animal sacrifices to prevent spread of the virus.
For years, animal lovers have been crying for an end to this cruel ritual, and now under the pandemic, temples have been forced to limit this ritual.
“This year our temple management has decided to curb animal and other sacrifices on Maha Navami. There will be a token sacrifice with one buffalo. We will not accept animals and birds from devotees for sacrifice. The decision has been taken to check the rush of devotees to this temple to witness the biggest sacrifice on Durga Puja,” said Billeswar Devalaya doloi (head priest) Ranjit Mishra on Tuesday.
The decision of the temple, which is dedicated to Lord Shiva, may hurt the sentiments of hundreds of devotees who come in hordes with goats, pigeons and ducks for sacrifice every year on the grand occasion of Maha Navami. The never-ending ritual, sometimes went up to 2,000.
Many politicians and VIPs also offer buffaloes for sacrifice. The less privileged devotees offer goats and birds.
Sources in the health department said a standard operating procedure (SOP) is being put in place to regulate crowds during Durga Puja. Some of the peethas where Durga Puja is celebrated with great devotion, have also come under their crowd-check plan.
Legend has it that the Billeswar Devalaya in Nalbari district in lower Assam, shot into fame during the rule of king Nagakhya about 2000 years ago. All through the ages, the temple has attracted a large number of devotees and received royal patronage from Ahom King Siva Singha (1714-1744 CE).
The Kamakhya temple authority is also in a dilemma on accepting sacrificial animals from devotees. “Rituals will continue and so will the daily sacrifice at the temple. But since a decision on reopening the temple for devotees has not yet been taken yet, we have not been able to decide on the number of sacrifices,” said doloi (president of the Kamakhya Temple Trust Board), Mohit Chandra Sarma.
About 10 buffaloes are sacrificed between Maha Saptami and Maha Navami at Kamakhya. Fewer animals are sacrificed here in comparison to Billeswar Devalaya because it is a time-consuming process, said Sarma. “Since we cannot allow large crowds at the temple this year, the temple management may consider the ritual only in the presence of a few priests.
The Ugra Tara temple in Guwahati, believed to be as old as the Kamakhya temple, too will limit the number of sacrifices to one buffalo this puja.
Kailash Sarma, one of the leading members of the temple management, said the tradition of sacrifice at the temple is as old as 1,000 years. “This year, we appeal to the devotees not to approach us for any sacrifice. In tune with Vedic rituals, only one buffalo will be sacrificed,” he said.
.jpg)
'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20xlink%3Ahref='data%3Aimage/jpeg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wBDABALDA4MChAODQ4SERATGCgaGBYWGDEjJR0oOjM9PDkzODdASFxOQERXRTc4UG1RV19iZ2hnPk1xeXBkeFxlZ2P/2wBDARESEhgVGC8aGi9jQjhCY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2P/wAARCAAGAAgDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFQABAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAL/xAAcEAACAgIDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAgQRAQMhMdH/xAAVAQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACA//EABYRAQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABMf/aAAwDAQACEQMRAD8AjRG1z4iu9q6vi6z3xfgAJ07r/9k='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
