Sharp reaction to 'Pakistan Zindabad'; FIRs lodged, police investigation begins

OUR BUREAU

SILCHAR/GUWAHATI: The issue of some AIUDF supporters shouting 'Pakistan Zindabad' at Kumbirgram Airport at Silchar on Thursday when AIUDF president Badruddin Ajmal landed there snowballed into a major issue all over the State. Already a number of FIRs (first information reports) have been filed against the incident.

Besides greeting Ajmal with 'Zindabad Pakistan' slogan, he was profusely garlanded. The way AIUDF supporters raised pro-Pakistan slogans without any whimper of protest from Ajmal raises many an intriguing question about his agenda. The video footage which has gone viral lends credence to it.

The BJP and the VHP (Vishwa Hindu Parishad) reacted strongly to the pro-Pakistan slogan. Silchar MP Dr Rajdeep Roy, who was at Guwahati, made his nominee Pulak Das to file an FIR against BadaruddinAjmal and his supporters at SilcharSadar Police Station on Friday.

Another FIR was filed by VHP's Cachar secretary MithunNath at Silchar Police Station. The VHP demanded immediate arrest of Ajmal and his supporters who could easily be identified from the video clips. Nath also demanded an investigation by State or Central intelligence agency for initiating appropriate legal action against them.

DrRajdeep Roy was surprised that the Congress should lean on such party for its survival. But, there is no element of surprise when it tied up with Muslim League in Kerala in 1979 just for political footage. He added to say that Congress should think afresh its proposed tie-up with the AIUDF. He also pressed for a high-level probe into the anti-national slogans in the presence of BadaruddinAjmal.

The officer in-charge of Silchar Police Station, on the other hand, clarified the case filed against BadaruddinAjmal and his supporters would be transferred to Udharband Police Station since the Airport falls under its jurisdiction.

Reacting to the incident, Finance Minister HimantaBiswaSarma tweeted, "Look at the brazenness of these fundamentalist anti-national people who are shouting PAKISTAN ZINDABAD while they welcome MP BadruddinAjmal. This thoroughly exposed @INCIndia which is encouraging such forces by forging an alliance. We shall fight them tooth and nail."

Talking to the media in Guwahati, the Minister said that the same set of people earlier also had indulged in similar acts in Assam and had resumed their campaign on religious lines in view of the Assembly elections next year.

"I have asked the police to take actions against all those who raised slogans in favour of Pakistan. Law will take its own course," Sarma said.

Our staff reporter adds: Leader of Opposition in the Assam Legislative Assembly DebabrataSaikia underlined that the exact word used by the sloganeers could not be made out distinctly from the news reports due to background noise in the video footage.

"The government should immediately direct the police to question the assembled people, analyse all available video footages and utilize forensic technology to ascertain whether the word used before the word 'zindabad' was actually 'Pakistan' or something else. If the word 'Pakistan' was actually used, then those guilty of this nefarious act must be identified and brought to the book," said Saikia.

Meanwhile, the AIUDF, which found itself at the centre of the controversy, denied the charge that its supporters shouted such slogans and dubbed it a "cheap tactics of the BJP".

Police investigation is going on.

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