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Congress alleges security breaches: Kharge writes a letter to Amit Shah to ensure Rahul Gandhi and the BJNY’s safety in Assam
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday wrote a letter addressed to Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the alleged lapses of security in the Assam leg of Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra. Kharge urged Shah to intervene in the matter and ensure Rahul Gandhi and the Yatra entourage’s safety and security. This comes after Congress workers and the forces clashed near the Guwahati border, leading to Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma instructing the Assam police to file a case against Rahul Gandhi for “provoking” the masses.
In his letter to the Home Minister, Kharge alleged that the Assam police “systematically allowed” the BJP workers to breach the yatra’s security. He highlighted several instances indicating the Assam Police's alleged failure to ensure proper security for Rahul Gandhi, who holds Z+ protection. He mentioned incidents such as the vandalism of Congress posters and BJP members obstructing the Congress yatra on January 21, which resulted in an assault on the state party chief, Bhupen Borah.
"In all of the troubling events mentioned above, the Assam Police has systematically stood by and/or allowed BJP workers to come closer and closer to the convoy of Shri. Rahul Gandhi, breaching his security cordon and endangering his physical security and that of his team," Mallikarjun Kharge wrote in his letter.
Kharge has alleged that the Assam police have not arrested those involved in these instances. “As the risk increases, and as the Yatra proceeds as planned, we request your intervention to ensure that the Chief Minister of Assam and the Director General of Police, Assam ensure that no such untoward incident takes place which may lead to grave personal injury to Shri. Rahul Gandhi or any members of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra,” urged the Congress President in his letter.
This comes at a time when the Himanta Biswa Sharma-led Assam government is at loggerheads with the Congress leadership. The grand old party has alleged that the Assam Government is deliberately creating roadblocks for Congress's Yatra in the BJP-ruled state.
