Guwahati: Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Bhupen Bora criticised the Assam police on Thursday for failing to apprehend All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) chief Badruddin Ajmal despite the fact that 39 police cases had been filed against him at various police stations throughout the state for allegedly making sexist and misogynistic remarks about Hindu women last year.
Bora added that since Ajmal is the BJP party’s spokesperson, chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma won’t have him arrested.
Speaking to the media, Bhupen Bora said, “When the chief minister earlier made a pitiful remark against our National Congress leader Rahul Gandhi questioning about his father’s identity, we had lodged a case at the Dispur police station, however, no case was registered against him. But, when our Congress Leader Pawan Khera made a comment on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Delhi police had stopped him from boarding the flight at New Delhi airport after a case was registered against him at the Haflong police station in Assam’s Dima Hasao district.”
Bhupen Bora also alleged that there are several pending cases against leaders of Congress who have now joined the BJP party at the Chief Minister’s Vigilance Cell, but the state police have failed to take any action against them. “The police not only failed to take action against such leaders; rather they have also failed to fight crime amid rampant rise in robbery cases, burglary cases in the Guwahati city. They are more on to blandishing the BJP party, whereas, they are responsible for preventing crimes and disorders of any form in a society, as well as maintaining peace and harmony,” added Bora.
The APCC chief also issued a challenge to the BJP party that he All India Congress Committee (AICC) and the APCC are prepared to move to court for the forcible arrest of the Congress leader Pawan Khera in Delhi.
“We don’t fear anyone; neither the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) nor the Enforcement Directorate (ED) or the police. APCC is with Pawan Khera and the party is ready to fight against all democratically,” Bora added further.
It should be noted that Khera will be brought before a Delhi court and transported to Assam on transit remand.
Congress leaders had earlier protested after Delhi Police had prevented Khera from boarding the plane at the airport.
Pawan Khera said in a video posted on Congress’s Twitter account that he was unable to determine the reason for his deboarding.
“I don’t know. I was told that your baggage has to be checked. I said I do not have any luggage except a handbag. When I came down, I was told that I cannot go, a DCP would come. We are waiting for the DCP for the last 20 minutes. I don’t know why I am being stopped,” he said.
Congress leader Supriya Shrinate claimed that Khera was ordered to disembark the plane as the party’s 85th Plenary Session was taking place in Raipur, Chhattisgarh. She called the BJP-led government a “dictatorship.”
We were going from Delhi to Raipur by Indigo flight 6E-204. Pawan Khera, KC Venugopal, Randeep Surjewala was also with us. We were heading to Raipur for the Congress Plenary Session. Pawar Khera was taken away stating that his bag has been exchanged but he was not carrying check-in baggage. He was then told that he had been deplaned and a DSP of CISF would come and serve him notice. If this is not a dictatorship, then what is it? Would you stop people from boarding the flight? The dictator got ED raids done before the session and now the government has come down to this kind of act,” she said in a video tweeted by the Congress party.
She continued by inquiring about the laws that Khera was being prosecuted under and announcing that they would delay boarding the flight to Raipur until the Congress leader was permitted to do so with the rest of the passengers.
“Today we were going for the Congress Plenary Sessoin to Raipur, and our colleague Pawan Khera was told that he left his luggage but he was not carrying any luggage. Then the Police came and said Assam Police has registered an FIR,” Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala said.
According to reports, the CISF has dispatched its force to deal with the issue.
The Indigo Airlines issued a statement saying that a passenger was deplaned and the flight has been delayed.