Congress accuses Assam Police of political bias over FIR against Rahul Gandhi

Guwahati, Jan. 20: The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) on Monday accused the Assam Police of being “politically biased” in connection with the lodging of a First Information Report (FIR) against Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi at Guwahati’s Pan Bazar Police Station.

Speaking to the press on Monday, APCC chief Bhupen Borah claimed the FIR highlights the alleged politicisation of the police force, which, according to him, has been acting as a "yes-man" to the ruling party.

Borah mentioned that Section 152 of the BNS, invoked in the FIR, criminalises acts that provoke armed rebellion, with severe punishments, including life imprisonment. “This is a conspiracy whipped up by the BJP, RSS, and the Chief Minister of Assam,” Borah alleged.

Borah pointed out that despite numerous instances where Congress had approached the police to lodge cases against Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s allegedly provocative and communal remarks, no action had been taken.

Borah referred to remarks made by Chief Minister Sarma at a rally in Madhya Pradesh, where the Chief Minister allegedly said Sonia Gandhi’s residence should be burned down, and other controversial statements made about Gandhi.

“We had approached the police on these matters, which the press and the people are aware of. However, no cases were registered against the Chief Minister,” Borah said.

He further criticised the police, stating that their failure to act on these instances of alleged inflammatory remarks illustrated the "unconstitutional nature" of the force.

“If the police were truly non-biased, why didn’t they register the cases against the Chief Minister that Congress and other Opposition parties sought to lodge?” Borah questioned.

He also raised concerns about the lack of investigation into high-profile cases such as the Sharda and Louis Berger cases, as well as the alleged wealth accumulation of Chief Minister Sarma.

Concluding his remarks, Borah urged Assam’s Director General of Police (DGP), GP Singh, to ensure the police force operates impartially and without political interference.

“I urge DGP GP Singh to save the face of Assam Police and not disgrace this institution by acting according to someone with political vendetta,” he said.