Allegations that Indian Army soldiers had planted a gun in the house of an anti-CAA campaigner in an Assam village where funds were raised for the protests have refused to die down with the headman saying that he was forced to sign a statement that no one was harassed by the security personnel.
On Saturday night, the army had conducted a search operation in Kukurapuhia village in upper Assam for suspected Ulfa (Independent) cadres. Dibrugarh police later registered a case against Debojit Duarah, who has been campaigning against the Citizenship Amendment Act, based on an FIR lodged by the army personnel. The FIR said a .22mm pistol and six rounds of ammunition were found at Duarah’s residence.
On Tuesday, Bipul Neog, the 60-year-old gaonburah (village headman) of Kukurapuhia, spoke to The Telegraph about the search operation.
Neog said the Sasoni police outpost had informed him of the operation but since he was unwell he could not accompany the security forces.
“Later, I was called around 9.30pm to the outpost where I saw the army personnel. I got a bit wary. They asked me about Debojit and literally forced me to sign a paper which said no harassment was meted out to any family member during the search operation,” Neog said, adding he does not know much about “Debo” but villagers like him.
Duarah is the Sasoni regional president of a socio-political organisation, the Veer Lachit Sena, and a leading anti-CAA activist in Sasoni. Police sources said Duarah had been arrested earlier on suspicion of being an Ulfa (I) linkman and was released on bail later.
A drive was carried out in Sasoni in January to raise funds by selling paddy to help the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU), which is at the forefront of the anti-CAA campaign in Assam, to fight the case in the Supreme Court.
Kukurapuhia village has a population of 700 and most of the people are engaged in agriculture.
“Debo has been spearheading the anti-CAA movement at Sasoni. This was the first time security personnel conducted a raid in the village. I couldn’t sleep that night. I am a simple man and believe in simple things,” Neog said.
A video clip, which appeared to have been recorded on the spot by a youth and posted on Facebook, shows two Bolero vehicles without number plates and a few uniformed personnel wearing masks entering Debojit’s house at night. As soon as the youth started filming, the men got back into the vehicles. When Duarah’s wife raised an alarm, the security personnel left in a jiffy.
Speaking to The Telegraph on Tuesday over phone, Debojit denied the pistol charge and said he was not at home during the raid.
“When my wife tried to prevent them (the army personnel) from entering the house, they forcefully stepped in after pushing her aside. They searched the house and planted a gun in the house. I have no gun with me. It is a ploy of the security forces to brand me a terrorist,” he said.
Duarah added: “ I suspect they (the ruling BJP supporters) are trying to suppress my voice by levelling false allegation against me because of my active role in the anti-CAA movement. We have taken a decision to stop BJP leaders from entering our village.”
The officer in-charge of Naharkatia police station, Bhaskar Saikia, said an FIR was lodged by the army at Naharkatia police station against Debojit. “We are investigating the case but till now we have not called him or visited his residence. Debojit was earlier arrested in a case at Dibrugarh police station,” Saikia said.
Defence public relations officer P. Khongsai said: “We don’t know about the incident. We have no role in it.”
On Monday, AASU central executive member Uddip Jyoti Gogoi said: “We condemn the incident. It is a conspiracy to sabotage the anti-CAA movement because the villagers of Sasoni distributed rice during the anti-CAA protests. The government wants to create fear in the minds of people by suppressing their voice.”