HT Digital
GUWAHATI, JULY 21: Congress party tensions in the Dalgaon Legislative Assembly Constituency (LAC) of Assam’s Darrang district surged dramatically on Friday, after a woman councillor was allegedly attacked by senior party functionaries. The attack came after a contentious meeting that was convened to elect the chairman of the Besimari Anchalik Panchayat.
The election of the chairman had 14 members attend, including 11 from Congress, one from BJP, and two independents. The fight was among two Congress members, Suleman Ali and Hamidur Rahman. A tie with 7-7 votes in favor and against resulted in a coin toss to determine the winner, with the latter going to Hamidur Rahman.
Following Suleman Ali’s loss, several Congress leaders, including Besimari Zila Parishad member Mahibuddin Ahmed and former Zila Parishad member Ainul Haque, allegedly suspected internal betrayal. Their suspicion reportedly fell on Jasmine Begum, an Anchalik Panchayat member from 1,2 Baruajhar, and her husband Abdul Hakim. The couple was allegedly dragged to Ahmed’s residence, where they were physically assaulted in retaliation for the presumed cross-voting.
Dalgaon Police acted promptly after discovering the attack, saving the injured couple and bringing them to a hospital for treatment. Their testimonies were taken, and a case was later registered at the Dalgaon Police Station against Mahibuddin Ahmed, Ainul Haque, and other members of the involved party. Police began an investigation into the attack.