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Guwahati, June 16 (PTI): Assam Congress president Bhupen Kumar Borah and Deputy Leader of Opposition Rakibul Hussain were detained on Thursday when they tried to proceed to Raj Bhavan to protest against the Delhi Police for allegedly entering its national headquarters.
Raising slogans and slamming the BJP-led government, the Congress leaders and scores of party workers tried to march along the Mahatma Gandhi Road to the Raj Bhavan.
Anticipating such a move by the opposition party, the Guwahati Police had already put up a strong contingent of personnel and erected barricades to prevent the protesters from proceeding towards the Raj Bhavan.
When the Congress leaders tried to break the barricades and move ahead, police detained dozens of leaders and workers, but later released them, a senior police officer said.
Along with Borah and Hussain, several MLAs, functionaries of the state unit of the party, and office bearers of sister organisations were bundled into buses and detained for a few hours.
"Today Assam Police is behaving like a goonda force of the BJP. We will not accept this. They beat our workers who were just holding a democratic protest. But we are not scared of such tactics," Borah told reporters when he was being whisked away.
The BJP is using all agencies like CBI, ED, and state police as its tool to silence the opposition, which will not sit idle, he claimed.
Later, Borah and other senior leaders met Governor Jagdish Mukhi and submitted a memorandum on behalf of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC).
"It is a matter of grave concern and shock that in the 75 years of independent India's history, a ruling government has initiated action through police force inside the premises of the main opposition party of India - All India Congress Committee's (AICC) headquarters in New Delhi yesterday, it said.
The APCC also highlighted a similar incident of "unwarranted entry of the police inside the premises of Assam Congress Headquarters on GS Road here.
Police even pushed women members, who were injured in the process. Such action of the law enforcers inside the office premises of Assam Congress is highly condemnable and demands immediate action against the police," the memorandum said.
Slamming the Delhi Police for allegedly entering its national headquarters, the Assam Congress on Wednesday had announced a series of agitations over the next two days across the state.
On Friday, protests will take place in front of the DC offices in all districts, Borah had said.