Hojai accused of intimidating NCHAC's Congress members

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, February 20: They say old habits die hard. The Dima Hasao District Congress Committee (DHDCC) and the North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council (NCHAC) CEM and the Council’s Congress members have leveled such an allegation against former DHD ‘c-in-c’ Niranjan Hojai, who joined the BJP recently and became a Member of Autonomous Council (MAC) in the NCHAC.

In his complaint lodged before the officer in-charge of Haflong Police Station on February 18 this year, NCHAC’s MAC and parliamentary secretary Devojit Bathari alleged that Hojai had been intimidating him (Bathari) over mobile phone said that he should back Hojai as the CEM of the autonomous council. “He has been asking me several times to join the Bharatiya Jata Party (BJP)… Niranjan Hojai and his associates like Daniel (Debolal) Gorlosa are actively involved in running a coal syndicate at Umrangsho by using force and intimidation,” Bathari said, and added that on February 21 Gorlosa had called a meeting of all those involved in coal business at Umrangsho and asked them to pay him illegal tax at gunpoint. Bathari said that one among the coal traders threatened by Gorlosa was his (Bathari’s) brother Loben Bathari.

A complaint signed by NCHAC CEM Debojeet Thaosen and other Congress EMs in the Council was submitted to the Dima Hasao Deputy Commissioner, and its copies were also sent to the Assam Governor, the Chief Minister, the Union Minister of State for Home Affairs (in-charge of Six Schedule Areas and Autonomous Council), the Assam Chief Secretary, the Assam DGP, the director of NIA, the director of the Enforcement Directorate and others.