Congress member’s house attacked in Assam’s Jorhat

A petrol bomb was allegedly thrown at the residence of a Congress worker in Assam’s Jorhat district in the early hours of Friday, gutting a portion of the premises where she ran a food joint, police said.

The incident happened around 1.30 am at Rangajan in Titabor police station area. “A probe has begun following a complaint by Rupali Das. More details will be known as the investigation progresses,” a police officer said. “The food joint and some spare parts of a vehicle, estimated to be worth around Rs 10,000- Rs 15,000, were gutted, according to the family,” he added.

This is the second reported incident of an alleged attack on Opposition members after the Assembly election results were declared on Monday, in which the BJP-led NDA secured a third consecutive term with a two-thirds majority.

Unidentified persons had allegedly hurled petrol bombs at the house of a Congress candidate in Diphu in Karbi Anglong district late on Monday night, though none of the explosives exploded. In the latest incident, Das said passersby noticed the flames and alerted the family, who were asleep at the time.

“Around 1.30 am, we heard banging on our door and people shouting. We were initially hesitant to open the door, but when we heard the voice of our neighbours, we rushed out,” Das said.

Das said her food joint at the front of the premises was completely gutted, with damage also caused to spare parts of a commercial passenger vehicle that her husband operates.

The fire was brought under control with the help of locals before it could spread, she said.

After the fire was doused, Das said she found a glass bottle with petrol and an attached wick.

Das’s residence is located in the vicinity of former chief minister Tarun Gogoi’s ancestral home. She routinely posts videos in support of the Opposition party on social media.

Chairman of Congress’ social media and IT department Rituparna Konwar condemned the incident and demanded the arrest of the culprits.

“Until now, we had only seen videos of post-poll violence in West Bengal. But today, some people are bringing such a dangerous political culture into Assam, which is a very alarming sign for the social fabric of the State,” Konwar said.

“I strongly condemn the incident and urge police to immediately apprehend the culprits and ensure strict punishment,” he added.

Sibsagar MLA and opposition Raijor Dal president Akhil Gogoi also condemned the incident.

In a post on Facebook, he said, “I strongly condemn the torching of the small business that was the only means of livelihood for Congress worker Rupali Das by miscreants, and demand police to nab the culprits at the earliest and punish them.”

“According to media reports, Rupali Das was targeted only because she supports Congress. If someone is attacked only due to a difference in political ideology, just imagine where our Assamese society is headed,” Gogoi, who has been elected to the Assembly for the second time, added.