News Brief
Kuldeep Negi
Jan 24, 2024, 09:23 AM | Updated 09:23 AM IST
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Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has written a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, seeking his intervention to ensure security of Rahul Gandhi and other party leaders participating in Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra.
This comes a day after Rahul Gandhi-led Congress workers clashed with Assam police personnel in the city limits of Guwahati.
Assam police has filed an FIR against Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders over the incident. They have been charged with criminal conspiracy, unlawful assembly, breach of peace, among others.
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The case was filed on the instructions of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who said the "naxalite tactics" used by Congress workers are "not part of Assamese culture".
In his letter to the Union Home Minister, Kharge alleged that there were "several instances where the Assam Police has been found wanting in providing adequate security" to Rahul Gandhi who is entitled to Z+ security.
He then referred to the alleged defacing of Congress posters and BJP workers blocking the Congress yatra on 21 January and purportedly assaulting state party chief Bhupen Borah.
"In all of the troubling events mentioned above, the Assam Police has systematically stood by and/or allowed BJP workers to come closer and closer to the convoy of Shri. Rahul Gandhi, breaching his security cordon, and endangering his physical security and that of his team," Kharge wrote.
None of those involved in these incidents, he said, had been arrested despite the presence of evidence in the public domain.
"As the risk increases and as the Yatra proceeds as planned, we request your intervention to ensure that the Chief Minister of Assam and the Director General of Police, Assam ensure that no such untoward incident takes place which may lead to grave personal injury to Shri. Rahul Gandhi or any members of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra," he added.
Kuldeep is Senior Editor (Newsroom) at Swarajya. He tweets at @kaydnegi.