Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra: The Assam Police have registered an FIR against the 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra', led by its leader Rahul Gandhi, and its chief organiser KB Byju for allegedly deviating from its permitted route in Jorhat town on Thursday.
Congress' Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra entered Assam on Thursday through Haluwating in Sivasagar district from Nagaland.
'Chaotic situation after march took different turn
According to an official, the march deviated from its permitted route towards KB Road, resulting in a 'chaotic situation' in the area. "Some people fell due to the sudden rush of people and a stampede-like situation was created. A suo motu FIR has been registered at Jorhat Sadar Police Station against the Yatra and its chief organiser," he added.
According to the official, FIR mentioned that the Yatra deviated from the district administration's norms and contravened road safety regulations.
Leader of the Opposition Debabrata Saikia claimed that the FIR was a tactic aimed at creating unwarranted hindrances for the Yatra. "There was no police manning the traffic diversion at the PWD point. The assigned route was too small and we had a huge gathering. So, we took a detour for just a few metres. Himanta Biswa Sarma is scared of the Yatra's success on the first day (in Assam) and now wants to derail it," he added.
What do Congress leaders have to say on FIR?
Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Friday dared the Assam government to arrest the party's workers and supporters. "No rules have been broken. Assam CM is making all attempts to stop people from joining the Bharat Jodo Nyaya Yatra. No one can stop this yatra. We are in Assam for the next 7 days. Let them arrest us, we accept the challenge," he said.
Congress MP from Assam Gaurav Gogoi, too, fired back at the Himanta Biswa Sarma-led Assam government over the FIR. He said, "The people are with us. We will not be scared of anyone or any FIR. In a democracy, no government can stop us."
'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra'
The 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' made its entry into Assam on Thursday through Haluwating in Sivasagar district, arriving from Nagaland. Gandhi resumed his journey in a bus from Tuli in Nagaland in the early morning and reached Assam around 9:45 am. The Assam leg of the march will continue till January 25. It will travel 833 km in 17 districts.
The Yatra, led by the Congress MP, commenced from Manipur on January 14 and will culminate on March 20 in Mumbai. It has been planned that the Yatra will cover 6,713 km in 67 days while passing through 110 districts in 15 states.
Besides northeastern states -- Nagaland (257 km in two days), Arunachal Pradesh (55 km in one day), Meghalaya (five km in one day) and Assam (833 km in eight days)-- it will also cover the states in the Hindi heartland including Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, and conclude in Maharashtra on March 20 or 21.
The yatra will further pass through 100 Lok Sabha constituencies in 15 states. The yatra will move to West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra. Before starting the yatra, Rahul Gandhi will pay homage to martyrs at the Khongjom War Memorial in Thoubal, built in memory of those killed in the last Anglo-Manipur War in 1891.
According to the route released by the party, the yatra will stay the longest in Uttar Pradesh, covering 1,074 km in 11 days.It would pass through politically vital areas, including Amethi, the Gandhi family bastion of Rae Bareli and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's constituency of Varanasi. The yatra will traverse 6,713 km, mostly in buses but also on foot. It will cover 110 districts in 67 days, before culminating in Mumbai on March 20 or 21. Rahul Gandhi will address public gatherings and interact with civil society members and organisations twice a day during the yatra.
(With PTI inputs)
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