Guwahati, October 11
Isolated incidents of hoisting of Pakistani flag in two villages, Sonaipara and Mohanpur in Udalguri district, by some miscreants during the recent communal violence, has snowballed into a major political issue in Assam with opposition groups out to pin down the ruling Congress over the controversy.
The BJP national vice-president and former union minister Bijoya Chakraborty said the incidents of hoisting of Pakistani flag by certain elements in riot-affected areas were reflection of poor internal security scenario in the state and would encourage anti-Indian fundamentalist elements to try sneak into Assam through porous border with Bangladesh to foment more trouble.
She criticised the state and Central government for failing to take any action against those involved in hoisting the flag on Indian soil in Assam and alleged that the ruling Congress was apprehensive to act out of fear of losing its vote bank among illegal Bangladeshi migrants.
Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, who had earlier denied any such incident, today said some ‘conspirators and miscreants’ might have done it to fan communal passion in the state and announced that he would request for a CBI inquiry to pinpoint the culprits.
The All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) lampooned Gogoi’s announcement to ask for a CBI probe and termed it another ploy to cover up the failure of his government. “Why do they need a CBI inquiry to find out the culprits behind hoisting of Pakistani Flag in Assam?
They do not carry inquiry when security forces operating under counter-insurgency unified command kill Assamese youths on suspicion of being insurgents,” AASU adviser Dr Samujjal Bhattacharrya said, calling for a statement from the Prime Minister over the issue.
Meanwhile, the issue has created ripples in a section of media in Pakistan. An article published in a webpage called ‘Pakistan Daily’ (www.daily.pk) and authored by writer Ahmed Quraishi has mentioned that “this should come as news for Pakistani defeatists.
After Kashmir, the rest of the dozen or so freedom movements in India see Pakistan as a symbol of liberty and freedom. Pakistan's media and intelligence agencies should project these incidents and stoke more support inside these Indian states as retaliation for Indian terrorism inside Pakistan's Balochistan, tribal belt and other cities.”
