CAA: Dibrugarh University Student Leader Summoned by NIA

Guwahati, March 20, 2020:

Dibrugarh University's Ex-General Secretary of Post Graduate Students Union, Rahul Chetry, is the latest person to be summoned by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for questioning.

The ruling BJP’s practice of using law and order machinery to their own benefit was reflected once again this week. The ex-General Secretary of Dibrugarh University Post Graduate Students Union, Rahul Chetry, is the latest person to be summoned by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for questioning. In a summon letter signed by NIA Additional SP, D R Singh, Chetry has been directed to appear at the agency’s office located in Sonapur in the outskirts of Guwahati city. This is in relation to Case No: RC-13/2019/NIA/GUW which is titled “Terrorist activity by Akhil Gogoi, president of KMSS”

Interestingly, Rahul Chetry has never been a member of KMSS or its student wing SMSS. The only time he has met Akhil Gogoi was in the month of December last when Gogoi had visited Dibrugarh University to create awareness and garner support for the anti CAA movement. Even though Chetry has not been a part of any student or political organization, he had become a strong voice of the anti CAA brigade among the student community.

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A student of the statistics department and a resident of the Padmanath Gohain Baruah hostel of the university, Chetry has been touring through many parts of Assam, specifically in Upper Assam, vehemently voicing his demands for repealing the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act. He has been doing this without the banner of any organization and has been associating with all other protesting groups including the All Assam Students Union, Bir Lachit Sena, KMSS and SMSS. On 2^nd March, Chetry had been one of the lead organizers of a protest rally in the Chief Minister’s constituency of Majuli.

Through this rally, the anti CAA sentiment was very vividly painted for the public of Majuli and the electoral hopes of the Chief Minister were said to be hurt a lot. In this rally, Chetry came into contact with Assistant General Secretary of SMSS, Pranjal Kalita. It is to be noted that right after this rally, Pranjal Kalita was summoned by the NIA as well on the 6^th of March as a witness for the same case. Rahul Chetry is also one of the many activists who have been raising voices in the public as well as social media domain for the release of Akhil Gogoi.

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Another point to be noted is the way that Rahul Chetry has been served this summon. As per our sources, Chetry was first contacted on phone by someone who introduced himself as the NIA SP and was directed to report to him for interrogation. This had happened during the annual week of the university, referred to as the Varsity Week. When Chetry asked the officer to send over a soft copy of the summon order, he didn’t receive any response. Without giving much thought to it, he brushed it off as a prank by some friend.

The summon copy never reached him till after the Varsity Week ended, when the university is filled with students who would much naturally be angered by such actions against the student leader. When the Government mandated for all educational institutes to be shut down and hostels to be emptied as precautions against CoViD-19, like other institutes, Dibrugarh University students also started leaving the campus.

The summon letter was sent over to him by WhatsApp only after the campus was virtually empty without any student presence to raise voices over the issue. The original summon letter was actually addressed to Rubul Chetry, Rahul’s brother who lives in the UAE and has absolutely nothing to do with CAA protests. Later, Rubul’s name was striked off and Rahul’s name was added with black hand written words.

The fact that the Government has been using law and order agencies as well as provisions like NIA, NSA, UAPA, CID etc to suppress democratic voices of dissent is an open secret for the people of Assam. These have been used to keep under arrest the entire top leadership of the KMSS and SMSS including its founder Akhil Gogoi along with other leaders like Bitu Sonowal, Dhaijya Konwar. Manash Konwar etc. Students of Dibrugarh University have already started questioning the legitimacy of the Government’s steps to suppress freedom of speech. Many of them have also promised to start strong democratic protests against the Government if Chetry is not returned back to the people after the interrogation. In this situation, it will be worthwhile to note what happens after the student leader reports to the NIA office at 11 AM on Friday.

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