Pushed back like infiltrators, allege TMC leaders

Six leaders of the Trinamool Congress, who were part of the eight-member delegation detained at Silchar airport while attempting to visit Assam post-NRC, said they were treated "like infiltrators and pushed back".

The six leaders left Assam this morning after overnight detention at the airport.

Cachar district Deputy Commissioner S Lakshmanan said six TMC leaders left and two others -- MPs Mamatabala Thakur and Arpita Ghosh -- would leave the state later in the day.

The TMC delegation -- six MPs, one MLA and one West Bengal minister -- had gone to Silchar in Assam to interact with people left out of the complete draft of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) published on July 30.

The complete draft of the NRC, touted to be a proof of Assamese citizenship, had excluded over 40 lakh people, triggering a political slugfest between the BJP and other political parties.

After arriving in Kolkata, TMC Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy said, "The way infiltrators are treated... they are pushed back... we were treated the same way... we were pushed back. We were manhandled, even women MPs were not spared."
Before leaving Silchar, he had said, "We are going back. The police have not allowed us to go out. We requested them several times but they refused. We spent the night in three rooms at the airport."