Defacing of Assamese posters; Cachar Police arrests two ABSYO members from Silchar 

Multiple hoardings carrying government advertisements were defaced by the members of Barak Democratic Youth Front and the All Bengali Students Youth Organisation (ABSYO). They claimed it is an insult to the Bengali language and that is why, as a mark of protest, they defaced the hoardings.

This act has attracted severe criticism from all sections in both Barak and Bramhaputra Valley. Today afternoon, the founder of Barak Democratic Front, Pradip Dutta Roy was summoned by the Superintendent of Police, Cachar. He was interrogated for two hours following which he has released an official statement mentioning it was not in their planned curriculum to deface the posters and was done without his consent.

What comes in as big breaking news — Cachar Police has arrested Raju Deb and Samar Das in connection with the defacing of Government hoardings in the Assamese language. Cachar SP Ramandeep Kaur confirmed that both have been arrested today evening and the investigation is still going on.

It is worth mentioning here that Bengali is the official language of Barak Valley and without prejudice, the government is supposed to publish all official documents and advertisements in Bengali along with other languages. Pradip Dutta Roy’s organisation has lodged an FIR against the chairman of Jal Jeevan Abhiyan for violating the act and publishing the advertisement in Assamese language only.

A giant bilboard at Silchar Railway Station carried the advertisement. It is the same Railway Station where 11 martyrs laid their lives to secure Bengali as the official language. How the deputy commissioner of Cachar and Police investigate the matter to find if Bengali was intentionally left out to hurt the popular sentiment in Barak Valley is something that remains to be seen.