Guwahati: The Pan Bazar Police in Guwahati had arrested the President of the Asom Chatra Parishad (ACP) after hours of questioning in relation to an assault case.
This was informed by the officials on Sunday.
Reports state that on November 10, the student leader attacked a rider of a paid two-wheeler service, and the entire incident was captured on CCTV.
The student leader, prime accused in the case, has been identified as Trinayan Baruah, former student of Cotton University in Guwahati. He was taken into custody and questioned at Pan Bazar Police Station on Saturday night.
He has been charged by the Pan Bazar Police with violating Sections 341, 326, 382, and 34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the last of which is a non-bailable offence. Case number for this arrest is 275/2022.
He is anticipated to be released from custody within 24 hours of his arrest, even with the application of the IPC’s non-bailable provision. After his arrest, reports of political pressure on the police to not make an arrest have come to light.
Moreover, it has been claimed that his name has already been connected to a number of similar cases involving Cotton University. His name had also surfaced in the unrest that followed Cotton University’s Students’ Union elections for the academic year 2021–2022.
There are claims that because of his ties to the state’s ruling party, his hooliganism went unreported. Reports stated that pressure was coming directly from Dispur for the release of Baruah.
Meanwhile, the victim of the incident, identified as Sajid Choudhury, a Rapido rider, has apparently received numerous calls attempting to manipulate him since the incident. In addition to ACP, he reportedly received calls urging him to resolve the dispute amicably.
It should be mentioned that police have struggled under intense political pressure for 24 hours to arrest the accused Trinayan Baruah despite having a wealth of evidence at their disposal.