Jorhat (TIP)- An FIR has been lodged against the ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’ and its chief organizer KB Byju for reportedly straying from the approved route within Jorhat town, Assam, on Thursday, January 18, PTI reported citing police sources. According to an official statement, the march took an unauthorized direction in the town, deviating from the permitted KB Road route, causing a “chaotic situation” in the area.
“Some people fell due to the sudden rush of people and a stampede-like situation was created. A suo motu FIR has been registered at Jorhat Sadar Police Station against the Yatra and its chief organiser,” he added. As per the official, the FIR states that the Yatra failed to adhere to the norms set by the district administration and violated road safety regulations. In response, Leader of the Opposition Debabrata Saikia informed PTI that the FIR is a strategic move aimed at generating unwarranted obstacles for the Yatra. “There was no police manning the traffic diversion at the PWD point. The assigned route was too small and we had a huge gathering. So, we took a detour for just a few metres. Himanta Biswa Sarma is scared of the Yatra’s success on the first day (in Assam) and now wants to derail it,” he added. Furthermore, Congress’ Bharat Jodo Nyaya Yatra reached Assam’s Majuli. Party leader Jairam Ramesh said, “No rules have been broken. Assam Chief Minister is making all attempts to stop people from joining the Bharat Jodo Nyaya Yatra. No one can stop this yatra. We are in Assam for the next 7 years. Let them arrest us, we accept the challenge.” Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi in a post on X said, “The Chief Minister of Assam is the most corrupt Chief Minister of India, whose only work is to loot public money under the guise of hatred.” The Assam segment of the march is scheduled to persist until January 25, covering a distance of 833 km across 17 districts. The Yatra, under the leadership of the Congress MP, began its journey from Manipur on January 14 and is slated to conclude on March 20 in Mumbai.’’