Guwahati: Assam governor Jagdish Mukhi on Wednesday triggered a controversy by taking his convoy to the maidam (burial ground of Ahom kings) of King Siva Singha at the ASI-protected site in Charaideo, Upper Assam. He was accompanied by Charaideo deputy commissioner Bibekananda Phukan.
Various organisations condemned the incident, that took place around 11.45am, as a disregard to a protected historical site and demanded an apology from Mukhi.
There is a separate VIP parking place and a restriction on taking vehicles beyond that.
"We have never seen someone taking his vehicle inside the ASI-protected site. Being a governor, Mukhi and the district administration should know it. We demand an apology from the governor," president of the All Tai Ahom Students' Union, Litul Buragohain, said.
Working president of the Tai Ahom Yuva Parishad, Lohit Gogoi, said: "Taking a huge convoy to the protected archaeological site of the burial ground of the kings cannot be welcomed."
The maidam of Siva Singha is one of the ASI-protected maidams.
The ASI has excavated it and has been making arrangements to let people go right to its bottom to see what the inside of a maidam looks like. It will be opened to public in a week.
Secretary to the governor Sanjib Gohain Baruah said as the deputy commissioner of Charaideo took the governor to the maidam, he is the right person to speak on the issue.
Phukan could not be contacted as he was on "governor tour" duty.
The office of the Guwahati circle of the ASI was not aware of the incident. "I am not aware of the incident," superintending archaeologist of the ASI, Guwahati, K. Amarnath Ramakrishna, said.
Ramakrishna, however, added that a visitor is not allowed to take his vehicle beyond the parking place of an ASI-protected site.
ASI officer B.C. Das told The Telegraph that the district administration had informed them about Mukhi's visit on Tuesday evening. "It is the district administration which decided to take him to the maidam. It was a rainy day. Besides, I have come to know that the governor is not in good health," Das said.
