Nagaon, Sep 21 (PTI) BJP and Congress workers clashed during campaigning for the Nagaon Lok Sabha by-election in Assam on Monday, police said.
The incident happened around 4 pm in the Samaguri assembly segment when a Congress procession, led by the party’s state president Gaurav Gogoi, was on the way to a public meeting at Larirmukh.
Dhubri MP Rakibul Hussain, former Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel and the party’s bypoll candidate Sibamoni Bora were also present in the procession.
Police said BJP supporters had gathered at Barama Bazar to show black flags to the Congress leaders.
“As around 30 to 40 Congress workers on motorcycles passed the area, slogans like ‘Gaurav Gogoi Go Back, Congress Go Back, Rakibul Go Back’ were raised, leading to tension,” an officer said.
When the Congress convoy returned through the same route after the meeting, suspected BJP supporters pelted stones at the opposition party’s vehicles, he said.
“Some Congress workers were also allegedly beaten up by BJP supporters, while CRPF personnel deployed in the area lathi-charged the attackers to control the situation,” he added.
Police said Congress workers then returned to the spot with sticks, further escalating the situation, with both sides hurling stones at each other.
The glass of two Congress vehicles was broken. Some journalists also sustained minor injuries in the stone-pelting, they said.
Gogoi, Baghel, Hussain and Bora crossed Barama Bazar under the protection of CRPF and state police personnel, they added.
“Security was provided to Congress leaders, and the situation was brought under control. We have detained two persons, who were part of the attackers, and interrogation is underway,” another officer said.
In a series of social media posts, Gogoi alleged that BJP workers attacked the car in which he and Baghel were travelling, with stones and bottles.
“Police were requested much in advance to control the crowd, but the situation was allowed to escalate. The Election Commission of India should continue to remain a mute spectator to such acts of violence in BJP-ruled states. In fact, BJP should open a recruitment cell for criminals,” he said.
Gogoi further claimed that the party’s candidate, Bora, had not been provided security and that AICC secretary Manoj Chauhan, who was in the candidate’s car, was hit by a stone.
Sharing a video of the alleged assault, the Deputy Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha said: “Of course Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma can send Assam police to Gujarat, Delhi and Maharashtra but now will be totally incapable of finding these stone pelters within Assam.
“Suddenly Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma will plead incompetence. Election Commission of India will not order any transfers or suspensions… Looks like BJP has been organising training programs on stone pelting,” he alleged.
The state BJP is yet to comment on the incident.
All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal said that after West Bengal BJP’s “murder of democracy”, CM Sarma has sent “his goons to finish off” his political rivals.
He claimed that the ruling BJP is “desperately shaken” by the Congress leaders and their campaign.
“Instead of allowing free and fair elections to pan out, the BJP has absolutely vitiated the atmosphere by using brute force and muscle power. Predictably, the BJP-controlled @ECISVEEP is totally silent and helpless, giving its tacit approval to the BJP’s Goonda Raj,” Venugopal said.
He urged the Election Commission to take action to uphold law and order in the area and “punish the ruling regime for their blatantly criminal, unconstitutional and violent means to subvert the elections”.
Later, state Mahila Congress president Mira Borthakur Goswami lodged a complaint at the Nagaon Sadar police station over the violence.
Police said they were “examining” the complaint.
Addressing the rally, Hussain claimed that if the BJP loses the Nagaon bypoll, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah would remove Sarma from the chief minister’s post.
He appealed to people to vote for Bora to ensure the defeat of the “anti-Muslim BJP”.
“Tanzil Hussain is still the MLA of Samaguri. Without the signature of local Congress MLA Tanzil Hussain, no woman will get government schemes in Samaguri LAC,” he added.
Tanzil, the first-time MLA, is Hussain’s son, who won the seat in the assembly polls held earlier this year.
The bypoll was necessitated after Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi resigned from the seat and successfully contested the assembly elections from Dispur as a BJP candidate.
The polling for the by-election will be held on October 6, and counting of votes will take place on October 9. PTI TR TR SOM
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.