The Assam Police on Thursday detained the Trinamool Congress delegation at the Silchar airport to stop them from visiting the state over the controversial Assam’s National Register of Citizens (NRC) issue.
The detained six TMC MPs and two party MLAs were planning a campaign against the NRC draft that does not include names of over 40 lakh people in the state.
Reacting to the development, party leader Derek O’ Brien called the detention a “super emergency”, adding that “it is our democratic right to meet people”.
“Our delegation was detained at Silchar airport. It is our democratic right to meet people, this is a super emergency like situation,” he said.
Brien further alleged that the delegation was manhandled by the police, adding that among those roughed up at the airport include lawmaker Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, who is a hear patient.
TMC MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, who is a member of the delegation, told PTI that the police stopped them at the airport on their arrival saying their visit might create trouble.
The TMC delegation including six MPs were kept in the VIP lounge of Kumbhigram airport here in Cachar district under Barak Valley region, the sources said.
The Cachar district administration last night issued prohibitory order under Section 144 of the CrPC and banned entry of any person not involved with the NRC process in the district.
The TMC team went there at the instruction of party supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
Banerjee has been accusing the BJP-led central government of resorting to “vote-bank politics” on the NRC issue and saying that “Indian citizens have become refugees” in their own land.
More details are awaited.
