HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, Feb 15: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Assam Pradesh spokesperson Lakhya Konwar on Saturday accused Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi of tarnishing the image of Border Security Force (BSF).
Konwar quoted an article published on July 10, 2015 in the Youth Forum on Foreign Policy (YFPP) — an organisation allegedly backed by Gaurav Gogoi — where BSF was labeled as a human rights violator.
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He further claimed that the article alleged that BSF personnel deployed along the India-Bangladesh border were responsible for the brutal shooting of Bangladeshi citizens under the pretense of preventing illegal infiltration.
“A July 10, 2015 article published in the Youth Forum on Foreign Policy (YFPP)—an organization backed by Gaurav Gogoi—labeled the Border Security Force (BSF) of India as a human rights violator. The article specifically accused BSF personnel deployed along the India-Bangladesh international border of brutally shooting Bangladeshi citizens under the pretext of preventing illegal infiltration,” an official statement quoted Konwar as saying.
Quoting the article further, Konwar claimed that the article also accused BSF of violating international law.
“Indian border security forces were involved in human rights violations and had unlawfully killed nearly 1,000 innocent Bangladeshi nationals, in violation of international law,” he added.
The BJP spokesperson said that in an attempt to divert public attention from the core allegations against Jorhat MP Gaurav Gogoi and his wife, Congress has been trying to mislead people by raising unrelated issues.
“However, such propaganda initiated by the Congress ecosystem will not deceive the public. Instead, Gaurav Gogoi and his wife must provide clear and direct answers to the allegations made against them,” he stated.
Konwar said that the people of Assam have now begun questioning whether the BSF, which protects Assam’s borders, is a friend of the state or if Gaurav Gogoi’s YFPP is truly working in Assam’s interest.
The BJP said that through this article an attempt has been made to defame India’s internal security
“Through this article, an attempt has been made to defame India’s internal security forces like the BSF at the international level, and Gaurav Gogoi must be held accountable for this anti-national propaganda,” the statement read.
Additionally, serious concerns have been raised regarding Gaurav Gogoi’s wife, Elizabeth Colburn Gogoi, who was appointed by a Pakistani national, Ali Sheikh, who has publicly made anti-India remarks for a long time, Konwar said.
“The open support of Gaurav Gogoi for such individuals raises national security concerns, which he must answer,” the BJP spokesperson concluded.
