Assam girl in jail for two months for writing “seditious” poem on Facebook

Barshashree Buragohain, a 19-year-old girl from Banai Katarikham village in Assam’s Jorhat district, has been languishing in jail for nearly two months following her arrest on charges of writing a poem in support of the banned insurgent group United Liberation Front of Assam Independent (ULFA-I).

An undergraduate student majoring in mathematics from DCB College, Buragohain was arrested from her friend’s home on May 18 and was charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), 1967.

Buragohain was arrested following a complaint filed by one Pankaj Saikia of Uriamghat in Jorhat about her seditious poem.

The police FIR, filed based on the complaint, states that Buragohain’s poem, which included these two lines - "One State towards Independence; we will commit treason once again" - not only encouraged the public to support ULFA (I) but also expressed her intent to wage against the nation.

For more than four decades, the ULFA (I) has been engaged in an armed struggle against the State of India demanding a sovereign Assam.

During interrogation, police sources claim that she admitted to her guilt and accepted that she had voluntarily uploaded the post on her Facebook profile. Arrested under non-bailable charges, her case is now pending in the court of the Sarupathar Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate (Mufasil). The police have not filed the charge sheet yet.

Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta, the Director General of Assam Police, weighing in on the situation recently at a public gathering, said: “We did not do anything to her for writing poems. There is no bar on writing poems. Trouble arises when one talks of joining ULFA (I) and urges others to do the same. She wants to join ULFA (I) and wants many others to follow suit. That is why she has been nabbed, not for any other reason.”

“When someone publicly professes support for a banned organisation and declares intent of waging war against the Indian state, we are legally bound to prosecute that person. We have moved government for prosecution sanction and on receipt of the same, charge sheet shall be filed in competent court of law,” says GP Singh, Special DG of Assam Police.

While the budding poet remains incarcerated for her poem published on Facebook, Sanjay Kishan, a senior minister in Assam Cabinet has till now faced no adverse consequence even though he publicly apologised to Paresh Baruah, the chief of the banned outfit after calling the latter a liar.

Following outrage in the state, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma issued a show case notice to the minister, though after a gap of two weeks.

Speaking to India Today NE, Barshashree’s brother Arindam Buragohain narrated how his family had been running from pillars to post, to get Barshashree released from jail. The family, which is dependent on their poultry farm for their sustenance, is facing a harrowing time to get Barshashree bailed due to financial constraints.

“After the agitation in the state against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), her inclination towards poetry grew. She has been regularly penning her thoughts since then. But I did not know she was writing on her Facebook wall as I don’t monitor her social media profiles. Her arrest came as a shock to me,” Arindam said.

After getting the news of her detention, Banashree’s ageing father rushed to the police station, where the police assured him that she would be questioned and counselled about her poetry and social media activities and would be released the next day.

“When my father went to the police station the next day at 12 noon, the police made my father sign a document which he readily signed without reading the contents. Later, we realised that it was about her arrest,” says Arindam.

Her family and friends allege that the counsellor first directed her to delete all poems from her FB wall and comments posted on the armed organisation’s Facebook page.

Barshashree’s arrest has triggered widespread criticism across the state, with student bodies, opposition parties and intellectuals demanding her early release.

Many have raised their concerns about the student potentially missing out on her semester exams which will be taking place soon.