The BJP-led
government in Assam has registered at least 245 cases of offences
against the state, including sedition, since it came to power in 2016,
the latest being that against three prominent individuals for their
comments during protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill.
In a written reply in Assamese to a question by Leader of Opposition
Congress’s Debabrata Saikia, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Chandra
Mohan Patowary informed the state Assembly Monday that a total of 251
cases of ‘deshdrohita’ — offences against the state — were filed against
individuals and outfits starting May 2016. In the IPC, Offences Against
State include Sections 121, 121A, 122, 123 and 124A (which pertains to
sedition).
The main reply mentioned the figure as 251 but the attached annexure
showed the repetition of districts Biswanath (5 cases) and Sadiya (1
case). Patowary was answering on behalf of Chief Minister Sarbananda
Sonowal, who holds the Home portfolio.
Congress’s Saikia had asked the government how many people were
booked for “deshdroh” by the government. The response did not elaborate
on the specific charges against the booked individuals but the data —
signed by a senior official of the CID — shows that majority of the
cases are registered against members of militant outfits, including the
ULFA-I and others representing different ethnic communities of the
state. The response also did not mention the date of registration of the
cases.
Kokrajhar district tops the list — 88, booking militants affiliated
with Bodo extremist outfits and the Kamatapur Liberation Organisation
(KLO), and the National Santhal Liberation Army (NSLA) and its faction
that is against talks.
Chirang comes next — 43, largely against Bodo militants. In upper
Assam’s Tinsukia district, 40 cases of sedition were filed, mostly
against militants affiliated with the United Liberation Front of Assam-
Independent (ULFA-I) and a few against those of the Naga outfit NSCN
(K).
Kokrajhar and Chirang are part of the Bodoland Territorial Area District (BTAD), while Tinsukia, home to different communities, was rocked by insurgency in the 1990s.
According to NCRB data of 2014, 56 cases with charges of “offences
against the state” were registered in Assam — the highest in the
country, accounting for 31.8 per cent of the total in this category. But
only one of 56 had section 124A, and the other 55 had the other
sections. In 2015, 22 cases were registered in Assam pertaining to
sections of Offences Against the State — but not including 124A.
Guwahati city has had only one sedition case registered in the given
period — in January, prominent Assam academic Dr Hiren Gohain, activist
Akhil Gogoi and journalist Manjit Mahanta were booked on charges of
sedition for their comments during a protest against the Bill.
The complaint was registered by officer-in-charge of Latashil police station Upen Kalita and it stated that Gogoi criticised the Bill in his speech and talked about “initiating a struggle for a sovereign Assam, independent of India”.
In fact, another sedition case was filed against activist Gogoi in
Dibrugarh district in 2017. In connection with this case, Gogoi was
arrested in September 2017 for allegedly instigating people in a public
speech to take up arms against the government. Both the Guwahati and
Dibrugarh cases against Gogoi had Section 124A (sedition). Gogoi remains
a fierce critic of the BJP and the RSS and is one of the key leaders
spearheading the ongoing agitation against the Bill.
Saikia told The Indian Express, “There could be genuine cases — and
we don’t have any problem with them — but booking people like Dr Gohain
or Akhil Gogoi for sedition simply shows the undemocratic practices
carried out by the BJP. They complain against the Emergency but then
look at what they are doing — booking anyone who criticises the
government with sedition.” Among other districts, 19 cases were filed in
Cachar, 18 in Golaghat and 11 in Dima Hasao.
