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 Assam: Thousands of AUDF supporters arrested
By
M. Burhanuddin Qasmi
<manager@markazulmaarif.org>
The
Milli Gazette
10
June 2007
Guwahati (Assam, Eastern India): Maulana Syed Mahmood Madni General Secretary Jamiat Ulama-I Hind, Rajya Sabha MP, and Maulana Badruddin Ajmal Al-Qasmi, President, Assam United Democratic Front (AUDF) have been restricted to enter Samaguri and 144 is imposed in part of Nogaon district of Assam today. Thousands of AUDF supporters have been arrested by the local police in Rupahi, Samaguri and Nogaon to undone the massive agitation 'March to Samaguri' called by the AUDF in protest against physical assault by the Congress goons on two of the AUDF MLAs Hafiz Bashir Ahmad Qasmi and Dr. Adtiya Langtasa on 29 May at the instigation of Forest Minister Rockybul Hussain, Samaguri MLA.
Thousands of people are marching towards Samaguri in response to a call given by AUDF president Chalu Samaguri
Speaking to this reporter from Rupahi AUDF and Assam State Jamait President Maulana Badruddin Ajmal said that over one lakh AUDF workers from all over Assam, Maulana Syed Mahmood Madni, 10 AUDF MLAs and all central executive committee leaders have participated in the march. "Congress led Tarun Gogoi Government of Assam is cowardish and afraid of our use of democratic rights", Maulana Ajmal said.
The Congress has vehemently used state machinery in its favour and stopped at least 50 thousand people from approaching Samaguri since daybreak in districts like Goalpara, Barpeta, Dhubri, Bongaigaon and Darrang. Police have even asked Petrol pump operators not to fill any vehicle with AUDF flag on it across Assam.
A. S. Tapadar, an AUDF official disclosed that thousands of more people from all corners of Assam are still offering arrest in support of the agitation but this massive number of formal arrest would go against the Congress led government and thus police have been directed not to arrest marcher formally instead assault them physically to disperse their move.
It all started when the AUDF moved the Prime Minister on May 30 demanding dismissal of Assam Forest Minister Rockybul Hussain from the State Ministry for his alleged hand in the attack on two AUDF MLAs in the Kusumtoli area under Samaguri Assembly constituency in Nagaon district on May 29 and unexpectedly got no affirmative response from the PM till today. The AUDF claims that a group of goons attacked its two legislators with lethal weapons without slightest provocation and in addition to being MLAs both of the assaulted persons are highly respectable professionals in their respective-- medicine and academic-- fields.
The AUDF legislators were on their way to Simultoli to attend the funeral of the son of a party worker in three vehicles. “This was a pre-planned attack on our life,” said former Cotton College Professor and a gold medallist Hafiz Bashir Ahmad Qasmi, addressing the press conference later. “The attackers were shouting slogans in favour of the Congress and Rockybul Hussain,” he said. “To save our life from the attack, we rushed to the nearest Army camp at Misa,” he said. “Interestingly, though we informed Nagaon SP of our visit to Kusumtoli, we failed to contact him since he kept his mobile phone switched off at the time of attack,” he added.
AUDF working president Hafiz Rashid Ahmed Choudhury said the party has demanded immediate removal of the Nagaon Deputy Commissioner, the SP and the officer-in-charge of Samaguri police station, who, according to him, acted as Congress agents. The party has also demanded arrest of the culprits and to provide adequate security to the leaders and workers of the AUDF. An FIR has been lodged against nine local Congress workers, who reportedly led the attack, in Samaguri police station. A judicial inquiry has to be constituted to unearth the conspiracy behind the attack, he said. A memorandum demanding immediate action in this regard and to check the abuse of power has been sent to the Prime Minister but unfortunately no action whatsoever has still been taken. He warned "in no way people of Assam are going to tolerate Congressi Gondaraj and we will continue fighting this menace using all possible democratic means".
Expressing firmness, Maulana Ajmal said, “Despite denial of permission by the Congress administration today, no power can stop us as AUDF always believe in democratic peaceful protest.” He said "our workers will not destroy public or private property nor they will charge any one physically instead we advised them to come with flowers in hands. Nevertheless this agitation will continue still we got proper justice which is our right as citizens of this country."
The AUDF sources informed that the party leadership is meeting with the Governor of the state Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Ajai Singh shortly today or tomorrow and they will decide about next agitation plan when the leaders are released from illegitimate arrest. Police sources informed that they have not arrested the leadership instead restricted their movement to maintain law and order and will free them after 7 PM.
Picture:
Maulana Badruddin Ajmal (right), Maulana Mahmood Madni (left) and Hafiz Bashir Ahmad Qasmi (behind in the
middle) 
Picture:
Some of the injured agitators by the police lathi charge has been escorted to nearby hospital
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