Edited by Deepali Verma
A case has been filed by Assam Police against Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra and its organiser KB Byju for allegedly violating the state government’s guidelines regarding the yatra route.
Information from the police reveals that the rally organisers allegedly deviated from the assigned directions and chose an uncharted route as the yatra passed through Jorhat town on the afternoon of January 18.
Adding further, the police said that the sudden change in route caused disruptions, suggesting that the organisers, such as KB Byju and others, allegedly incited the crowd to break traffic barricades and assault the on-duty police officers.
Upon contact, Leader of the Opposition Debabrata Saikia informed PTI that the FIR was a ploy to generate unnecessary obstacles before the yatra.
“No police were seen manning the traffic diversion at the PWD point. The assigned route was too small whereas we had a huge gathering. So, we planned on a detour for just a few metres” he added.
Meanwhile, as the yatra entered its sixth day on January 19, Rahul Gandhi as well as the other yatra members took a ferry to the largest river island, Majuli.
The march dealing with the stretch of Assam is scheduled to persist until January 25, covering a distance of 833 km across 17 districts.
Under the leadership of the Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, the yatra kicked off from Manipur on January 14 and is set to be concluded on March 20 in Mumbai. The overall plan envisions the yatra covering 6,713 km over 67 days, traversing 110 districts across 15 states.
