Himanta Sarma should resign taking moral responsibility after police get court rap: Congress

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. Credit: PTI Photo

A day after an Assam court came down heavily on the state's police while granting bail to Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mevani, the Congress on Saturday said Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma should immediately resign taking moral responsibility for the police action.

Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said if Sarma has a little public shame left, a little morality left, then he should quit immediately in the wake of the court pulling up the state police for lodging a "false FIR" against Mevani.

Also Read: 'False FIR, manufactured case..': What Assam court said about Jignesh Mevani's case

"If the chief minister of Assam, who is also the home minister of Assam, has the slightest public shame, then he should resign immediately, because these remarks and harsh comments made on the Assam police raises questions on him," she told reporters.

The Congress leader alleged figures show that since May 2021 during Sarma's tenure, 29 people died in police encounters in Assam and 96 people have been injured.

She quoted the Barpeta District and Sessions Court order and said, "The people of Assam are also saying the same thing about converting democracy into a police state or police access."

Shrinate said the Congress has been saying this continuously from this platform and the question is not only posed to Sarma but also to their leader Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.

Also Read: FIRs filed against me in blatant disregard for rule of law, says Jignesh Mevani

She also asked whether the country will run with dignity and by law and order or will it run by misusing extra-judicial mechanisms.

Shrinate, however, said that Sarma will not resign as he has no shame or morality left and demanded that the sharp remarks made against the police should be investigated and action taken.

The Barpeta Court while granting bail to Mevani in a case related to the alleged "assault" of a woman police officer, had on Friday pulled up the state police for lodging a "false FIR".

Hearing Mevani's bail petition, Barpeta District and Sessions judge Aparesh Chakraborty also urged the Gauhati High Court to direct the state police force to "reform itself" to "prevent registration of false FIR like the present case and the police personnel firing and killing or injuring accused which has become a routine phenomenon in the state".

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