MORIGAON: The Congress on Monday said the purported route deviation in Jorhat town on first day of the party’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Assam last week was “due to confusion”. It criticised the registration of an FIR in the eastern Assam district against “security personnel (of Rahul Gandhi) and others”, claiming that if any barricade was broken, it was done by party leaders.
A suo motu FIR was registered at Jorhat Sadar police station on January 18 for alleged route deviation by the yatra as it moved through the main town.
Addressing a press conference here, party in-charge of Assam Jitendra Singh said, “I was present at the ‘padyatra’ (foot march) that day. There were a large crowd in the area and when we reached a trijunction, we proceeded on a straight road.
“If anyone broke any barricade, it was politicians like me, Jairam Ramesh, Gaurav Gogoi, Bhupen Borah, Debarata Saikia. Why has the FIR been lodged in the name security personnel, workers?” he questioned.
Assam Congress chief Bhupen Kumar Borah, reading out a part of the FIR, said it named KB Byju and ‘unknown others’ of instigating others to break police barricade and proceed.
“When we reached the trijunction and were confused with the route, we asked police personnel who pointed to one of the three roads leading away from that point. We proceeded on the route pointed to us,” Borah said, claiming that it was he and leader of opposition in state assembly Debabrata Saikia who were leading the rally.
“KB Bjyu had nothing to do with it or fixing the route. The FIR is an attempt to malign the yatra,” he asserted.
Bjyu is a former SPG personnel, who currently looks after the security arrangements of Gandhi.
A suo motu FIR was registered at Jorhat Sadar police station on January 18 for alleged route deviation by the yatra as it moved through the main town.
Addressing a press conference here, party in-charge of Assam Jitendra Singh said, “I was present at the ‘padyatra’ (foot march) that day. There were a large crowd in the area and when we reached a trijunction, we proceeded on a straight road.
“If anyone broke any barricade, it was politicians like me, Jairam Ramesh, Gaurav Gogoi, Bhupen Borah, Debarata Saikia. Why has the FIR been lodged in the name security personnel, workers?” he questioned.
Assam Congress chief Bhupen Kumar Borah, reading out a part of the FIR, said it named KB Byju and ‘unknown others’ of instigating others to break police barricade and proceed.
“When we reached the trijunction and were confused with the route, we asked police personnel who pointed to one of the three roads leading away from that point. We proceeded on the route pointed to us,” Borah said, claiming that it was he and leader of opposition in state assembly Debabrata Saikia who were leading the rally.
“KB Bjyu had nothing to do with it or fixing the route. The FIR is an attempt to malign the yatra,” he asserted.
Bjyu is a former SPG personnel, who currently looks after the security arrangements of Gandhi.