GUWAHATI/NORTH LAKHIMPUR, March 15: Assam Congress Spokesperson Reetam Singh was on Saturday arrested for a social media post enquiring about the status of cases registered against three senior BJP leaders, including a former state chief and two serving MLAs.
He was arrested from his home in Guwahati by a team of Lakhimpur district police with assistance from the Guwahati Police.
Lakhimpur Superintendent of Police Mihirjit Gayan told PTI that Singh was arrested after a complaint by the wife of BJP MLA Manab Deka for a post on X two days ago.
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“We have arrested him under relevant sections of law. He is being brought to Lakhimpur now,” he added.
Singh made a post on X on March 13 with a news report about three individuals being convicted by a court for a rape case in the Dhemaji district in 2021.
“These culprits got the punishment they deserved. But what @BJP4Assam r@pe accused Ministers and MLAs like Manab Deka, Ex Party President Bhabesh Kalita, ex Minister Rajen Gohain? Is the law equal for all?” the Congress leader had asked in his post.
Kalita, who was the BJP Assam president till January this year, is an MLA with Deka, while Gohain was the Union Minister of State for Railways during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first term.
During the arrest of the Congress leader, a lot of drama unfolded at the apartment of the accused in the Ulubari area, with Singh initially claiming that no warrant or notice was served on him.
Hours later, deputy leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi reached Singh’s house and alleged that his colleague was dragged by police on a day when Union home minister Amit Shah was in the state.
“A team of Lakhimpur police have come to Guwahati to take custody of Congress spokesperson @SinghReetam. When I went to his residence. I saw how he was brutally dragged away and was not allowed to speak to me,” Gogoi said in a post on X.
Referring to Shah’s official visit to Lachit Barphukan Police Academy in Golaghat district, the MP asked if the Union Home Minister was aware of the “misuse of police” under chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
“Is Home Minister Amit Shah aware that BJP thugs have brutally beaten up two Assam constables in broad daylight a few days ago and yet they have not been arrested,” he said.
The chief minister is allegedly forcing the state police to adopt illegal activities, which conflict with the law and the High Court, Gogoi claimed.
“The track record of police officers is being spoiled by the political motivations of Himanta Biswa Sarma. People are watching,” he added.
Earlier, Singh shared a few photographs, on X, of a strong posse of policemen outside his home and claimed that they came to arrest him without warrant and notice.
“I showed them the recent Gauhati High Court Judgment, making it compulsory for police to give a notice. I am an advocate and I will comply with any investigation. But I won’t go with the police if they are here without arrest or warrant simply on instructions of @himantabiswa,” he said.
Singh also said that any arrest of him without warrant or notice would be contempt of Justice Mridul Kumar Kalita’s Judgment on March 7 in Sakib Chowdhury vs State of Assam.
“More police are here. No one is saying a word as to why I need to be taken away by the Lakhimpur Police. I am a lawyer. Where will I run away? Why such harassment and pressure on an officer of the court?” Singh said in a series of posts.
“On repeated requests to produce a warrant or a notice, they said they won’t. Is this law and order @DGPAssamPolice @HardiSpeaks,” he asked in another post, tagging DGP Harmeet Singh. (PTI)
