TMC alleges manhandling of MPs in Assam, Rajnath denies

Condemning the alleged manhandling of party MPs at the Silchar airport yesterday, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) today claimed all rules were violated by the Assam administration and said the party will observe "black days" in protest.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, however, accused the members of the TMC delegation of creating an "unruly situation" at the airport.

He said they were detained in view of intelligence inputs on the law and order situation received by the Assam government.

Meanwhile, TMC secretary general Partha Chatterjee told newsmen in Kolkata that the party would observe "black day" across West Bengal tomorrow and on Sunday.

"We condemn the way the public representatives were manhandled and detained by the Assam police at the Silchar airport. They being MPs had every right to visit a place, but all rules were violated and our party delegation was stopped. This is shameful," he told reporters.

In the Lok Sabha, Rajnath Singh said prohibitory orders were in force in Assam, and hence, state officials had "requested" the TMC leaders to return from the airport itself.

The TMC leaders were detained at the airport in view of the prevailing law and order situation in the state, he added.

Maintaining that the MPs were extended all courtesies, the Union home minister said since there was no return flight to Kolkata or Delhi from Silchar, the MPs spent the night at the airport guest house and left for Kolkata this morning and had an onward flight to Delhi.

"With folded hands, the district magistrate requested them to return. But without paying heed to the request, the MPs got into shoving, in which two women security personnel were injured," he said.

TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee said citizens of India have the right to move around anywhere in the country and the party's MPs had categorically told the state government officer at the Silchar airport that they would not hold any public meeting.

Responding to the home minister's accusation, a senior TMC leader today said, "The statement of Rajnath Singh is completely unacceptable. We expected that the Centre will intimate us on its own and take appropriate action. Nothing was done. We are completely dissatisfied with his statement. Over the weekend, we are going to chalk out our plan of action for Monday".

The TMC delegation members alleged that they were treated "like infiltrators and pushed back".

Cachar district Deputy Commissioner S Lakshmanan said six TMC leaders left in the morning and two others, both MPs left the state later in the day.

An eight-member TMC delegation comprising six MPs, an MLA and a state minister was stopped at the Silchar airport yesterday when its members tried to enter Assam's Cachar district to assess the ground reality after the final draft of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) was published in the north-eastern state on Monday.

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... 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."