FIR filed under multiple sections of the IPC against AHSEC Chairman Dayananda Borgohain at Silchar Sadar police station

In a recent interview with a news channel, Chairman of the Assam Higher Secondary Education Council Dr. Dayananda Borgohain made some controversial remarks surrounding the Barak Valley and its Bengali identity. His provocative statement asking the Bengali speaking residents of Barak Valley to get separated from Assam if they don’t speak Assamese received huge flak from the politicians and intellectual fraternity of this valley. Now, an FIR has been filed against the AHSEC Chairman, Dr. Dayananda Borgohain at the Silchar Sadar Police Station in Cachar district today under Sections 153A, 153B, 504, 505, 120B of the Indian Penal Code.

The FIR was filed by Prothama Dutta Roy who is a final year law student at the Symbiosis International University, Hyderabad. In the FIR, the complainant tried to emphasize how Dayananda Borgohain through his inflammatory remark has violated Article 19(1) (a) of the Indian constitution, which provides Indian citizens with the right to freedom of speech and expression. It also stated how such hurtful remark coming from a government officer is deplorable and might set a bad precedence to the common people as he’s holding an important position as the Chairman of the AHSEC.

The FIR then explained how each of the sections of the IPC imposed against him could be justified by exploring the key tenants of all those five sections one by one. It implored the authority to take proper action against Dayananda Borgohain by serving him justified punishment for hurting the sentiments of the people of Barak Valley and trying to incite hatred between Assamese and non-Assamese communities of Assam.

Vehemently opposing the statement of imposition of the Assamese language, the complainant also put in context a historical circular of 1960 known as the ‘Shastri Formula’, named after the former Prime Minister of India Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri, who in blatant voice had said that Bengali language is the heart of Barak Valley and Assamese language is the heart of Brahmaputra Valley.

Meanwhile, politicians and leaders from the Barak Valley starting from MP Rajdeep Roy, state minister Parimal Suklabaidya to the All India Mahila Congress (AIMC) President Sushmita Dev, former MLA Dilip Paul and the intellectual fraternity have all condemned this statement of the AHSEC Chairman. They have also demanded proper action against Dr. Dayananda Borgohain asking for his resignation from the AHSEC post.