Minister stages dharna against massacres

By Barun Das Gupta

GUWAHATI, DEC. 7. Dispur today saw the strange spectacle of a senior Assam Cabinet Minister sitting in dharna within a stone's throw of the Secretariat to protest against the recent massacres of innocent people by extremists and the administration's role of a ``silent spectator.''

The Irrigation Minister, Mr. Abdul Muhib Mazumdar, who is also the chairman of the United People's Party of Assam (UPPA), a constituent of the four-party ruling alliance, sat in dharna along with leaders of various religious, linguistic and ethnic minority bodies like those of Biharis and Nepalis.

The dharna was organised by the Coordination Committee for Minorities of Assam (COMOA) to which nine bodies, including the UPPA, United Minorities Front (UMF), Linguistic Minorities Forum and All Assam Nepali Students' Union are affiliated.

Asked why he was participating in a public protest against the failure of his own Government to maintain law and order and protect innocent people from the murderous attacks of the militants, Mr. Mazumdar said: ``The Governor's speech at Bongaingaon has left me with no other alternative.''

(On December 4, the Governor, Mr. S. K. Sinha, told a gathering at Bongaigaon town where 19 persons had been massacred by the ULFA on November 30 that most of the victims were Biharis and being a Bihari himself, he was sorry for the killings. He called on the young people of the area to face the extremists with stones and rods and prove that the Biharis were no cowards.)

Mr. Mazumdar said the Governor's comments amounted to an admission of virtual helplessness on the part of the head of State. The initiative to organise resistance to the mass-killers and restore peace had now to be taken by the people. This was also the spirit of the resolution adopted at the all-party meeting held on Tuesday at the instance of the Chief Minister, Mr. Prafulla Kumar Mahanta.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Other States
Next     : Intruder held near Rabri Devi's house