Guwahati: As the Congress in Assam continues to protest against the recent death of a party worker, Indian Youth Congress (IYC) national president Uday Bhanu Chib was put in “preventive detention” by the Assam Police since Friday morning.
Guwahati Police Commissioner Diganta Barah said that Chib was detained at a hotel ahead of a planned protest in Dispur, Guwahati.
“The youth Congress had planned a ‘Dispur gherao’ programme and Chib has been here to participate in the event. But we cannot allow such a gherao programme. He has been put in preventive detention and explained that he cannot leave the hotel,” Barah told a news agency.
The detention came after the death of Congress activist Mridul Islam during a protest on Wednesday. Islam was participating in a ‘Raj Bhawan Chalo’ programme, which aimed to highlight various issues, including the unrest in Manipur and bribery allegations against the Adani Group.
The opposition party in Assam announced intensified protest programmes across the state, including the ‘Dispur gherao’ in the capital.
Chib had visited the family of Islam along with other party leaders on Thursday.
The planned ‘Dispur gherao’ programme, which Chib was set to participate in, was prohibited by the administration citing possible law & order situations.
Chib was informed that he could not leave the hotel, citing concerns over potential disruptions to public order.
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The Congress, however, carried out the protest with a huge number of party members and workers demanding justice for Islam.
In an attempt to prevent the protest from escalating into a law & order issue, the police detained several Congress workers including APCC chief Bhupen Kumar Borah and other Congress leaders.
