Protests erupt across Assam after SIT report on Gaurav Gogoi’s alleged Pak links

Jorhat, Feb 8: Protests broke out across several parts of Assam on Wednesday after Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma made public the findings of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into the alleged Pakistan links of Assam Congress president and Jorhat MP Gaurav Gogoi.

Within hours of the Chief Minister’s press conference at Lok Sewa Bhawan in Guwahati, hundreds of protesters gathered outside Gogoi’s residence in Jorhat, demanding that he withdraw from public life. The protest was organised by the Jorhat district unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Carrying placards and raising slogans such as “Gaurav Gogoi go back” and “Gaurav Gogoi should quit public life,” demonstrators marched through parts of Jorhat, alleging that the Congress leader’s purported actions had brought disrepute to the district.

Some protesters also raised provocative slogans urging him to accept Pakistani citizenship.

The protest began at the Jorhat District Sports Association playground where BJP supporters assembled before taking out a rally through the town. The procession later reached Gogoi’s residence, where sloganeering continued.

Addressing the gathering, BJP Jorhat district president Shantanu Pujari said that similar allegations had been raised by the Chief Minister nearly 10 months ago but were dismissed by the Congress at the time.

He claimed that Gogoi’s alleged links posed a threat to Assam and India’s internal security and called for a legal investigation into the matter.

Pujari further asserted that public representatives maintaining friendly relations with a “hostile nation” should step away from public life, adding that the allegations had tarnished Jorhat’s image.

In view of the large turnout, security was tightened in and around Gogoi’s residence, with police personnel and central armed forces deployed along the protest route to prevent any untoward incident.

Similar protests were reported from other districts following the Chief Minister’s press conference.

In Biswanath, hundreds of BJP workers took out a protest march from the Clock Tower, passing through the town before culminating at the Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC) bus stand. Protesters raised slogans against the APCC president during the march.

Sonitpur Lok Sabha MP Ranjit Dutta, addressing the protesters, described the details disclosed during the Chief Minister’s press conference as “serious and alarming” and demanded action by the Central government.

Similar scenes unfolded in Nalbari, where the BJP district unit organised a protest rally starting from the Government Garden playground. The procession passed through key areas of the town before culminating at Rajchakra Chowk, with thousands of party workers and supporters taking part.

Speaking at the rally, former MLA and Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) chairman Narayan Deka, along with BJP leader Jayanta Buzarbaruah, reiterated demands for a thorough investigation into the allegations and accused Gogoi of acting against national interests.

The Congress has rejected the allegations, describing them as politically motivated.