245 sedition cases in Assam since 2016

Guwahati: In what has raised many eyebrows, Assam government has registered nearly 245 sedition cases against various outlawed organisations and individuals since the BJP-led coalition government came to power in 2016.

Informing this to the state Assembly, parliamentary affairs minister Chandra Mohan Patowary said that majority of sedition cases were filed against the banned militant outfits.

The front page of the reply mentioned the figure as 251 in 19 districts, but in the annexure attached to it with district-wise details, there was repetition of the districts Biswanath (5 cases) and Sadiya (1 case).

In response to the query of Leader of the Opposition Debabrata Saikia, Mr Patowary said that sedition cases have been filed against militant groups such as Ulfa (I), NDFB (S), NDFB(B), KLO, NSLA, NSLA(AT), UPLFS, DHD, DHNA, NSCN(IM), ZUF and ATF among others.

Admitting that such sedition caes were filed against some individuals also he said that police have registered two sedition cases against RTI activist-cum- peasant leader Akihil Gogoi in Dibrugarh district and Guwahati city.

In one of the sedition cases registered in January this year, eminent intellectual and Sahitya Akademi awardee Hiren Gohain and journalist Manjit Mahanta were also booked with RTI activist Akhil Gogoi for their remark during an agitation against controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Bill.

Kokrajhar district topped the list, where 88 cases were filed against NDFB(S), KLO and NSLA(AT), he informed the House. It was followed by Chirang with 43 cases and Tinsukia with 40 cases, during the last two years and eight months, he said.

The minister said that Cachar, Golaghat and Dima Hasao were the other districts with double-digit sedition cases — 19, 18 and 11, respectively.