The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) has strongly condemned the seizure of printed copies of the Congress party's charge sheet against the state government, after police in Guwahati intercepted and detained a vehicle transporting the materials late on Monday night.
The incident has triggered a sharp political confrontation, with Congress alleging that the Bharatiya Janata Party government is using state machinery to prevent the opposition from reaching voters ahead of the assembly elections.
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Addressing a press conference in Delhi on Tuesday, APCC president Gaurav Gogoi launched a pointed attack on Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma over the seizure.
"The Chief Minister of Assam tries to portray himself as a very brave and powerful leader. But today, some pamphlets published by the Assam Congress have been seized by Himanta Biswa Sarma's police. The Chief Minister was so frightened by a few sheets of paper that he had them confiscated through the police," Gogoi said.
He alleged that the BJP has failed to fulfil its promises to the people of Assam, and that the charge sheet — which highlights those failures — was seized precisely because it posed a political threat to the ruling party.
"The BJP has failed to fulfil the promises it made to the people of Assam. Is this the strength and courage of Himanta Biswa Sarma?" Gogoi asked, adding that the people of Assam would deliver a fitting reply in 2026.
Assam Mahila Congress President Meera Borthakur and Media Department Chairman Bedabrat Bora visited Dispur Police Station following the incident to inquire about the circumstances of the seizure.
Borthakur said the charge sheet had been formally released at a press conference on the day Priyanka Gandhi visited Assam. The printed copies were being transported in a truck when Assam Police detained the vehicle and took four youths to the police station.
"We had explained what the BJP has done and what it has failed to do for public welfare. The copies were printed yesterday and were being transported. However, the Assam Police detained the vehicle and took four youths to the police station," she said.
Borthakur announced that Congress will pursue legal action against both the detention of the four youths and the seizure of the charge sheets, describing the police action as an abuse of state power against innocent individuals.