Senior Congress leader and Lok Sabha Deputy Leader Gaurav Gogoi has raised serious concerns about the deteriorating law and order situation in Assam, alleging that the state has effectively turned into a “police state” where intimidation and misuse of legal processes have become rampant.
Gogoi’s remarks came after his visit to Morigaon District Jail, where he met Congress spokesperson Reetam Singh, who has been subjected to multiple arrests over the past few weeks in connection with various cases filed across the state.
“Over the past few days, Congress spokesperson Reetam Singh has been relentlessly targeted and implicated in one case after another,” Gogoi posted on X, formerly Twitter. “I visited Morigaon District Jail yesterday to meet him and extend my solidarity.”
The visit coincided with the first day of Bohag, marking the beginning of the Assamese New Year. As a gesture of warmth and tradition, Gogoi brought Singh pitha and traditional sweets.
In his statement, the Jorhat MP alleged that Assam is witnessing a “disturbing collapse of law and order,” where the machinery of governance is being used to harass political opponents. “This is a police state now. Intimidation and miscarriage of justice have become the norm. Ordinary people are speaking up. I stand with the people of Assam,” he added.
Reetam Singh was initially arrested on March 15 from his residence in Guwahati by Lakhimpur district police over a social media post that questioned the status of cases against three senior BJP leaders — two of whom are sitting MLAs, including a former state BJP president. Though Singh was granted bail in one of the cases, he was re-arrested on April 12 by Morigaon district police before he could step out of judicial custody.
The Congress party has decried Singh’s repeated arrests as a blatant example of political vendetta and an assault on democratic dissent.
