Assam Congress suspends MLA arrested for provocative statements

Congress MLA Sherman Ali Ahmed was arrested on Saturday for making provocative statements over last month’s violent eviction drive in Darrang district that claimed two lives

Updated on: Oct 4, 2021, 13:26:06 IST

By Utpal Parashar

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The Congress suspended Assam legislator Sherman Ali Ahmed from the party for making provocative statements after party MLAs sought he be disciplined following the Baghbar MLA’s arrest on Saturday.

Last week, Sherman Ahmed had justified the killing of 8 people in Darrang district around four decades back at the height of the statewide agitation against illegal infiltrators (ANI Photo)

Assam Congress general secretary Bobbeeta Sharma said on Monday that state unit president Bhupen Kumar Borah suspended the MLA “with immediate effect for repeatedly violating party discipline”.

On Sunday, Assam Congress Legislature Party (CLP) had recommended disciplinary action against Ahmed on the same charge.

The Congress had earlier issued a show cause notice to Ahmed for “damaging the party’s image” ahead of by-polls in the state and for “making communally sensitive comments with the intent to destroy social harmony”.

Ahmed was arrested on Saturday for making provocative statements over last month’s violent eviction drive in Darrang district that claimed two lives. He was remanded to two days in police custody by a city court on Sunday.

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The legislator has been charged under Section 153 and 153 A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language etc.

Last week, Ahmed had justified the killing of 8 people in Darrang district around four decades back at the height of the statewide agitation against illegal infiltrators. Those killed are regarded as martyrs in Assam.

The killings had taken place near the site of the recent eviction drive on September 23 at Dholpur-3 village in Darrang district. Two people died and nearly 20 others including 11 policemen were injured in the eviction drive.

Around 1,200 families, most of them Bengali-speaking Muslims residing on government land for decades, were evicted from the area to establish an ambitious agriculture project.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Utpal Parashar
A seasoned senior journalist, I have nearly three decades of experience across print, digital, and online platforms, covering political transitions, insurgencies, environmental issues, and development stories in India and Nepal. I am skilled in breaking news, leading editorial teams and launch of newspaper editions. I am adept at leveraging digital trends and social media to expand global reach, with a strong ethical foundation and a reputation for impactful journalism. An alumnus of Asian College of Journalism, I joined Hindustan Times in New Delhi as a trainee reporter in May 1997. Over the years, I have been posted in Dehradun, Kathmandu (Nepal) and Guwahati. Currently, as Senior Assistant Editor at Hindustan Times, I lead a team reporting on India’s northeastern states. My work involves in-depth analysis, and engaging multimedia storytelling across formats, including text, photo, video, and interactive content. I am skilled in producing timely, shareable content, leveraging digital platforms and social media to engage global audiences. Throughout my career with the Hindustan Times, I have led diverse editorial teams, designed capacity-building activities, and supported reporters in developing strong story ideas, ethical reporting practices, digital skills, and fact-checking techniques. As Senior Assistant Editor for Northeast India, I have been responsible for guiding correspondents through complex political, humanitarian, and community-level stories using multimedia formats. Earlier, as Foreign Correspondent in Nepal, I produced extensive reporting during Nepal’s democratic transition and the 2015 earthquake and its aftermath.Read More

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