TMC MP Mahua Moitra assaulted woman constable in Silchar, allege Assam Police; party claims it's the other way round

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Assam Police have been engaged in allegations and counter-allegations ever since eight members of TMC landed at the Silchar airport in Assam on Thursday. The Assam Police has alleged that one of its woman police constable was injured after she was assaulted by Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Mahua Moitra at the airport. Moitra was  part of the eight-member party delegation, which arrived in the city, on a two-day visit to Assam to discuss the anomalies in the NRC issue. The delegation was detained at the airport on Thursday afternoon and asked to give an assurance that the members won’t make any provocative speeches or instigate violence during their visit. [caption id=“attachment_4882661” align=“alignnone” width=“373”] Constable Rubi Rani Das who was assaulted by TMC MP Mahua Moitra at the Silchar airport on Thursday. Image procured by Praveen Swami[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_4882671” align=“alignnone” width=“675”] Medical report of the injured Assam Police constable. Image procured by Praveen Swami[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_4882681” align=“alignnone” width=“682”] Medical report of the injured Assam Police constable. Image procured by Praveen Swami[/caption] In a video procured by Firstpost, Moitra is seen assaulting the female cop when the latter tried to stop her from protesting. Confirming the injury of the constable, Assam Directorate General of Police (DGP) Kuladhar Saikia told ANI, “In the scuffle, two of our constables and one worker from the district administration were injured. Legal action will be initiated on the basis of FIRs by the injured and for violation of Section 144 (in Cachar district)." The DGP said that the Assam administration had requested the TMC delegation to not to come to Silchar now as it is important for the government and the police to maintain peace in the state.

However, TMC has made allegations of being manhandled by the Assam Police at the Silchar airport and of being wrongfully detained there. Addressing the media, TMC chief Mamata Banerjee said, “A parliamentary delegation went to meet the people (in Assam). They were not allowed outside the airport. Why is the Assam government behaving like this, along with the Centre? This is a political vendetta. The BJP only has muscle power.” She even accused the BJP of imposing “super emergency” in the country. A statement issued by the TMC in Kolkata said that the party delegation comprising of 6 MPs, one state minister and one MLA was “pushed” and “shoved”. Party MP Derek O’ Brien tweeted to rubbish the media reports of TMC MPs assaulting the Assam Police personnel and instead alleged that MP Mahua Moitra was in “distress” and “beaten up” at the Silchar airport.

Some suppliant BJP-RSS media, also known as NK channels, why is this pic not on air ? My Trinamool colleague Mahua Moitra was in obvious distress at Silchar airport earlier today. Many in the 8-member delegation were roughed up and beaten. Report the facts. Stop the spin #pic pic.twitter.com/bfgZHl0eox

— Derek O'Brien | ডেরেক ও'ব্রায়েন (@derekobrienmp) August 2, 2018

#SuperEmergency Pic taken at Silchar Airport. My colleague Mahua Moitra, MLA, thrashed by police. Many in 8-member delegation roughed up. Trinamool MPs & MLAs don’t give in so easily. @MamataOfficial once went on a 26-day hunger strike for a cause. We will fight the good fight pic.twitter.com/1eXn9uLoOe

— Derek O'Brien | ডেরেক ও'ব্রায়েন (@derekobrienmp) August 2, 2018

Meanwhile, the Office of the Commissioner of Police, Guwahati, released a statement, prohibiting the “eight MPs, West Bengal ministers, MLAs and any other political/non-political person who may deliver inflammatory speeches against the NRC from entering Guwahati City and address any gathering without appropriate permission from the competent authority”. The police also said that “no passenger carrier including surface or air transport shall carry such persons to the area under Police Commissionerate, Guwahati.” The delegation continued to remain in detention till Thursday night. The Cachar Superintendent of Police Rakesh Kumar said , “Under preventive detention of Section 151 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), the TMC leaders will be kept inside Silchar Airport." TMC MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, who is a part of the delegation, told DNA that the police stopped them at the airport saying their visit might create trouble and manhandled them.“It’s murder of democracy. We were not allowed to go out,” he said. While another TMC MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar alleged that the police could not produce any order before stopping them. However, there was no immediate reaction from the state administration regarding TMC’s allegations, the DNA report said. With inputs from agencies