Tinsukia killings: FIR against Union minister Rajen Gohain, five other political leaders for making provocative speeches

Silchar: The police registered an FIR against Union minister Rajen Gohain and five other political leaders on Monday for allegedly making provocative statements to divide two communities in Assam in connection with the Tinsukia killings. The police said a complaint was filed by Inamul Haque Laskar, general secretary of the ex-ULFA United Platform, Barak, at the Silchar Sadar Police Station. Besides Gohain, who is the Minister of State for Railways, the FIR was lodged against BJP MLA Shiladitya Dev, party leader Pradeep Dutta Rai, Congress MP Sushmita Dev, party MLA Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha and Chandan Sarkar. [caption id=“attachment_4462105” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Minister of State for Railways Rajen Gohain. News18 Hindi[/caption] No specific statement was cited in the FIR against them, but it was alleged that they had given such statements on many occasions. Suspected militants in battle fatigue had shot dead five Bengali-speaking people, including three members of a family, beside a bridge near Kheronibari village on Thursday night. Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Friday blamed inflammatory speeches by individuals and organisations for the killings. Two leaders of pro-talk faction of the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) were arrested on 2 November for making provocative statements on various occasions. Earlier on Monday, Leader of Opposition Debabrata Saikia of the Congress demanded a judicial inquiry into the killings and alleged that no action was taken against the leaders of the saffron party for their inflammatory speeches.