HT Correspondent
SIVASAGAR, May 23: Shrinkhal Chaliha, Administrative Secretary of Bir Lahit Sena, a vocal critic of non-Assamese traders in Assam, was taken into temporary police custody on Thursday while on his way to Duliajan. Chaliha’s vehicle was intercepted by a combined team of Dibrugarh, Sivasagar, and Moran police at Sepon along NH-37, following which he was swiftly taken to Dibrugarh.
Confirming the development, Sivasagar SP Subhrajyoti Bora told this correspondent that Chaliha had not been arrested but was being held temporarily as a preventive measure. He is expected to be released by the evening.
Related Posts:
The action is believed to be in response to heightened tensions in Duliajan following the BN Singh Petrol Pump incident. The incident had sparked widespread protests after former AASU General Secretary Sankarjyoti Baruah was arrested based on an FIR filed by Tanu Shahi and Navnet Shahi on May 17. In retaliation, several youth and student organizations had called for a Duliajan Bundh today.
Activists have raised concerns over perceived police bias, pointing out that despite multiple FIRs filed against the petrol pump owner’s family, no arrests have been made on their end, while protest leaders and indigenous activists have faced police action.
Meanwhile, Raijor Dal President and Sivasagar MLA Akhil Gogoi strongly condemned the police’s move against Shrinkhal Chaliha. Speaking to the media, Gogoi urged Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma to immediately and unconditionally release Chaliha.
Gogoi further alleged that under the BJP regime, the indigenous Assamese population has been systematically “assaulted and insulted” by non-Assamese traders. He criticized the administration for what he termed as selective enforcement of law, which he claimed favors outsiders at the expense of local voices. As tensions simmer in Duliajan and across upper Assam, all eyes are now on how the state government navigates the growing unrest among indigenous rights groups and youth organizations.
