Cramping agitators’ style!

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, Dec 30: In a bid to cramp the agitators’ style – protest too much, often by hindering normal life in Guwahati – the Kamrup (M) district administration has promulgated a prohibitory order in certain areas in the city preventing assembly of more than five people.

Frequent agitation in the city is indeed an elephantine problem. Sometimes back the advocates of Guwahati did propose a tangible solution to the problem – declaring a specific field like Jantar Mantar in Delhi only for agitation as freedom of expression or speech is something that cannot be denied. However, the proposal fell on the deaf ear of the State administration.     

In a statement issued to the press today, the Kamrup (M) deputy commissioner said that it appeared to him that some specified and unspecified persons or groups and organizations/associations were likely to disturb normal functioning of offices, movement of public and flow of traffic at Dighalipukhuripar and in front of the office of the Deputy Commissioner, Kamrup (Metro). He apprehended that such groups of persons or organizations/ associations would carry out agitation/demonstration/shouting of slogans in front of the DC office, Meghdoot Bhawan and in and around Dighalipukhuripar under Panbazar police station, central police district, Guwahati leading to breach of peace and public order, disturbance/interruption of peaceful movement of public traffic and also normal functioning of offices in the areas.

The Deputy Commissioner promulgated prohibitory order under Section 144 of the Code of Crimil Procedure, 1973. He asked DCP Ranjan Bhuyan of Central Police District, Guwahati to prohibit assembly of more than five persons, procession and shouting slogans on MG Road near DC office, Panbazar; GNB Road near Dighalipukhuri up to TC Point rotary; Taibullah Road near Dighalipukhuri; Anda Ram Baruah Road near Meghdoot Bhawan; Kak Lal Baruah Road near Handique College; FC Road near Gauhati High Court; MG Road leading to Raj Bhawan, Guwahat by the side of the Brahmaputra and all roads around Raj Bhawan.