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Guwahati, Dec 20 (PTI) Top Assam Congress leaders, including state chief Bhupen Kumar Borah, who were arrested earlier on Friday while en route to participate in a memorial for a party worker who passed away two days ago, were released later in the evening, a party leader said.
Uday Bhanu Chib, the party's national youth wing chief, who had been placed under preventive detention by police at a city hotel, was also set free.
While police claimed that these measures were taken to prevent the opposition party from carrying out protests, the Congress said it had no agitations planned for the day.
The party instead organised an all-faith prayer meeting in memory of its member Mridul Islam, who died during a 'Raj Bhawan Chalo' programme on Wednesday to protest various issues, including unrest in Manipur and alleged bribery charges against the Adani Group.
"All of us, including our state president and IYC national president, have been released," state Youth Congress president Zubair Anam told PTI.
"Our IYC president is flying back to New Delhi as per his original schedule," he added.
Chib, who arrived here on Thursday, was placed under preventive detention at the hotel, while the other leaders were taken into custody from different locations as they were on their way to attend a party programme.
"The Youth Congress had planned a 'Dispur gherao' programme, and Chib was here to participate in the event. But we cannot allow such a programme. He has been put under preventive detention and told that he cannot leave the hotel," Guwahati police commissioner Diganta Barah told PTI in the morning.
However, Anam denied such a programme. He said, "Chib was here to participate in the all-faith prayer meeting, organised at the party's city office, Manabendra Sarma Complex in Dispur."
Anam added, "Our party leadership had decided to postpone all agitational programmes for three days because of Islam's death. Accordingly, our ‘Dispur gherao' programme, which was scheduled for Thursday, did not take place. Our members were to participate only in the all-faith prayer meeting and offer ‘shraddhanjali' to Islam."
Anam was not allowed to meet Chib at the hotel in the morning. State Youth Congress activists, who gathered in front of the hotel since morning and raised slogans demanding the release of their leader, waited till his release around 7.30 pm.
They also alleged that Chib was not been given access to his lawyer and that his mobile phone was confiscated by police.
State party president Bhupen Borah, former chief Ripun Bora, and several other leaders were arrested from near Hatigaon police station, about 4 km from state capital Dispur, as they were on way to the Manabendra Sarma Complex.
Anam said, "They were coming to participate in the all-faith prayer meeting but were stopped midway and taken into police custody."
Police commissioner Barah was present at the site and was seen putting Congress president Borah inside a vehicle.
Authorities had earlier imposed prohibitory orders in Dispur area, preventing any gatherings, an officer said.
Anam said, "We had no agitation planned. But heavy security deployment to thwart any democratic protest and the arrest of our leaders angered us, and we came to the streets to protest it."
The Youth Congress members broke through police barricades and raised slogans against the BJP government.
As the police prevented them from proceeding further, they squatted on the road.
The members were later taken into police custody and held at different locations, including the 10th Assam Police Battalion premises, along with the senior leaders.
Anam said all those arrested were released on PR bonds.
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
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