NRC: TMC delegation stopped at Silchar airport, leaders claim they were manhandled

A Trinamool Congress delegation which reached here today to assess the situation in Assam in the wake of the publication of the complete draft of the citizen's register was stopped at the airport, officials said.

According to TMC MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, who is a member of the team, the police stopped them at the airport saying their visit might create trouble and manhandled them.

"It's murder of democracy. We were not allowed to go out," he said.

The TMC leaders were supposed to hold a meeting at an auditorium here.

Party supremo Mamata Banerjee claimed that members of the TMC delegation, including women, were manhandled at the airport and accused the BJP of imposing "super emergency" in the country.

The BJP was exposed by this incident, she said and sought to know under which law was the TMC delegation stopped.

The TMC delegation including six MPs were kept in the VIP lounge of Kumbhigram airport here in Cachar district under Barak Valley region, the officials said.

The deputy commissioner, the SP and five magistrates were in the airport to talk to the TMC delegation.

The Cachar district administration last night issued prohibitory order under Section 144 of the CrPC.

However, district administration sources said the prohibitory order has nothing to do with the visit of the TMC delegation.

The TMC team went there at the instruction of Mamata Banerjee.

ADGP (special branch) Pallab Bhattacharya said that security has been beefed up at Silchar.

"We will take whatever measures needed for maintenance of law and order," he said.

Wondering why they were stopped, MP Roy told a TV channel, "They manhandled us including our women members. I am a heart patient. We have come here to talk to those people whose names were deleted. We are not here to create any trouble. But they have not allowed us."