Akhil Gogoi arrested in Assam’s Jorhat amid violent protests against Citizenship bill

A senior official of the Jorhat administration told PTI that Gogoi was taken into custody to avoid any “untoward incident” in the district, as well as other parts of the state by his supporters.

RTI activist and peasant leader Akhil Gogoi was arrested on Thursday in Assam’s Jorhat district as a preventive measure, amid violent protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill across the state, officials said.

Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) advisor Akhil Gogoi with supporters raise slogans during a protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, in Guwahati on November 22, 2019. (Photo: PTI)

A senior official of the Jorhat administration told PTI that Gogoi was taken into custody to avoid any “untoward incident” in the district, as well as other parts of the state by his supporters.

Gogoi, the adviser of the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS), had earlier in the day staged a sit-in outside the Jorhat Deputy Commissioner’s office.

“There were around 3,000 people during the day. We did not arrest him then to avoid repercussions. After he left the scene, our teams went to arrest him. It is a preventive arrest,” the official quoted above said.

Gogoi was trying to evade arrest and the teams had to search for him for a while before taking him into custody from an advocate’s residence, the official said.