India News | Assam CM Orders Arrest of Political Commentator Garga Chatterjee for Offensive Remarks
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Friday gave orders to arrest West Bengal-based political commentator Garga Chatterjee and bring him to the north eastern state over his alleged inflammatory remarks.
Guwahati, Jun 19 (PTI) Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Friday gave orders to arrest West Bengal-based political commentator Garga Chatterjee and bring him to the north eastern state over his alleged inflammatory remarks.
Sonowal asked the Guwahati police to go to West Bengal immediately to arrest Chatterjee for allegedly making objectionable remarks against Swargadeu Sukapha, the first Ahom king, and the entire Ahom community.
"The chief minister today directed Guwahati Police Commissioner to arrest and bring Garga Chatterjee of West Bengal to Assam for posting offensive remarks on social media about Swargadeo Chaolung Sukaphaa and Ahom community," an official statement said.
Sonowal asked the police commissioner to leave for Kolkata on Friday night itself for apprehending Chatterjee and bringing him to Assam to face the trial.
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A case related to this has already been registered at the Crime Branch of Assam Police against Chatterjee along with four other such cases for making provocative statements on earlier occasions.
"Following the direction of the Chief Minister, a three-member team led by DCP (Crime) Barun Purkayastha has been ordered by Guwahati Commissioner of Police to leave for Kolkata tonight," the statement said.
Sonowal said Sukaphaa was the architect of the greater Assamese identity and derogatory comments against such a revered personality cannot be tolerated.
Posting offensive remarks on social media and misinterpreting historical facts can lead to a rift between different communities in an ethnically diverse state like Assam, he added.
"Sonowal stated that the derogatory statements had hurt the sentiments of Assamese people and he underlined the need to take legal action against offenders like these for discouraging such behaviors in future," the statement added.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)