The third one-act-play competition was held in memory of a youth leader, Manas Pratim Borah, at Jorhat Theatre auditorium on August 29 and 30.

Nepathya, a popular group of Jorhat, was adjudged the best team among 15 groups of Upper Assam for its play, Bandha Duaror Phakere, directed by Pabitra Baruah. The play is about an innocent person who becomes a victim of police torture in the name of anti-insurgency operations.

Kinkor, the protagonist of the story, is a 20-year-old schizophrenic, who behaves like a child. He shares a rapport with the policemen at a police station near his house until one day when the station in-charge, under pressure from the higher-ups, arrests him and declares him a hardcore terrorist. The youth is tortured brutally, following which he dies.

The heartrending story was intelligently scripted by noted playwright Mridul Chutia. Nepothya’s team effort was splendid.

Though some good one-act plays like Ei Bhava Gahana Bano, Bawan, Computer Rajani, Sakha Damodhar, Akhara Ghar, et al were staged, their standard was not up to the mark. The acting styles and dialogue delivery left a lot to be desired. Akhara Ghar, performed by Udayachal Yuva Samaj, was adjudged the second best production. While Sakha Damodhar came third.