Congress, AJP Attack Assam CM Himanta Sarma For Remarks On 'Shooting Criminals' Who Try To Escape

CM Himanta Biswa Sarma had issued a statement justifying the series of encounters in which at least 12 suspected insurgents and criminals were killed after he assumed office.

Guwahati: Assam's opposition parties Congress and Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) have criticised Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for his statement wherein he said that shooting criminals who try to escape from custody or snatch service guns of police "should be pattern".

State Congress chief Ripun Bora in his statement argued that the Chief Minister's remarks have dangerous ramifications of turning Assam into a "police state" by making law enforcers trigger-happy, disregarding human rights.

AJP general secretary Jagadish Bhuyan also alleged that spike in encounters was a ploy to "silence" lower-rung criminals to be able to protect their bosses running illegal syndicates, which can include politicians and top police officers.

In its retaliation, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) questioned the opposition as to whether they were unhappy that criminals have died.

The matter escalated when CM Himanta Biswa Sarma issued his statement on July 5 justifying the series of encounters in which at least 12 suspected insurgents and criminals were killed after he assumed office. The encounters became a subject of political tussle in the state.

"Sarma should be aware that both the Supreme Court and the Gauhati High Court have ruled that no matter how dreaded criminals may be, they should be apprehended alive and the police have no right to open fire on the accused or kill them at will," Congress chief Ripun Bora told reporters.

He added that only in case of self-defence can they be fired upon and that too below the knees. The Supreme Court has also said that if a criminal is fired upon even in self-defence or otherwise, police have to give justification before the court for its actions.

"Despite the apex court's ruling, a chief minister issuing such a statement speaks volumes about his disregard for the judiciary," the Congress leader said.

In a separate press conference, AJP general secretary Jagadish Bhuyan said, "Under the guise of fighting crime, are people being silenced and terror created in their minds to protect the top criminals? We also want a crime-free society. But it should be based on the principles of law".

The chief minister's statement is against the laid-down and approved principles of our country, he added.

Bhuyan also alleged that criminal rackets and syndicates have been running in Assam for several years in connivance with a section of politicians and police officers, and the encounters could be to "protect" those involved in these crimes.

Reacting to the allegations, state BJP spokesperson Rupam Goswami said, "Are they (opposition parties) unhappy that criminals have died? This is not the first time that such incidents have taken place in the state."

"If someone snatches the service pistol from a policeman and tries to flee or shoot him, won't he react to it?" he argued.

Goswami stressed that everything has to happen "under the umbrella of law". 

Both the parties have also attacked the Assam CM for another statement where he had said that an MLA's only role is to make laws in the assembly and they have no part to play in developmental activities in their respective constituency. According to him, the responsibility of developmental work rests upon ministers, and no officer is bound to listen to a legislator's directives.

"His remarks are not only abusive to the elected representatives but also insult our revered Constitution of India. That a Political Science degree holder and a PhD scholar like Sarma could utter such words about the Constitution is doubly shameful," Congress chief Ripun Bora said.

The Constitution clearly highlights not only the legislative powers of the MLAs but also their executive and financial powers, he contended.

The AJP leader said the chief minister's statement undermines the power and role of an MLA in a democratic setup.

"The executive, the legislature, and the judiciary are the pillars of democracy. The CM's statement negates the importance of the legislature," he said.

Meanwhile, BJP has refused to comment on why there has been a sudden increase in the number of encounters.

(With Agency Inputs)