Assamese Poster defacing Row: BDYF Lodged Counter Complaint Against Chairperson of Jal Jeevan Mission

In fresh development to the row of controversy unveiled after defacing of Assamese hoardings by local organizations at Silchar railway station, Cachar Police Super today called up Pradip Dutta Roy, president of Barak Democratic Front following the inquiry proceedings. Cachar Police booked an FIR yesterday from Cachar District Administration regarding defacing of Center’s Jal Jeevan Mission’s signpost by few local groups. 

On the other hand, an FIR complaint was lodged with Cachar Police against the Chairperson of Jal Jeevan Mission, Cachar by Barak Democratic youth Front (BDYF), as the poster in question was written in the Assamese language, and which is clearly violated section 5 of Assam’s Official Language Act, 1961.

According to the BDYF’s FIR statement, the poster allegedly hurt the sentiments of Bengalis of Barak valley, as the hoarding containing Assamese language was set up exactly at the spot where 11 Bengalis died in police open firing at a protest against the imposition of Assamese Language.

While interacting with the media from the premise of SP Office, Pradip Dutta Roy again clarified that their protest is not against any particular race or language, and said that the people of Barak are being deprived of their cultural and citizenship rights. “We are neither against Assamese nor the Assamese language. We want to stay together and coexist, but we do not get any cooperation from them. They discriminates us, not giving us our ‘Bhasa Shahid Station’, didn’t provide any financial assistance to Barak Valley Banga Sahitya Sammelan, Barak’s job seekers don’t get any job, we are facing discrimination and elimination in all spheres now the times demands united protests and movements, I took all these issues to our SP”, Dutta Roy said the reporters.

Dutta Roy was also heard saying that during Sarbanondo Sonowal’s tenure Barak and Brahmaputra came closer with the motto of ‘Barak Brahmmaputra Voiyam’ but things turned around after the new government assumed power.

On answering about his presence at the SP office, Dutta Roy said, “I came here to discuss the incident that occurred at Silchar railway station. The protest was held by BDYF, our youth wings, and blackening of the poster was not in our protest agenda, I am completely unaware of when and who put defaced the posters.”

“I had another demand regarding the Assam Language Act 1961, according to which the official language of Barak is Bangla, in Bodoland it is Bodo and for rest of the Assam it is Assamese. So it has to be Bangla in Barak Valley anyhow, Assamese may be the state language of Assam but in Barak the official language is Bangla,” Dutta Roy said adding that those who defaced the posters were not part of their organization, and it was smeared before their protest.