Guwahati, Aug 21 (PTI) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday urged all “not to politicise” the apology extended by some Marwaris for allegedly assaulting a teenage girl by a person belonging to the community in Sivasagar district.
A 17-year-old arm wrestler was allegedly assaulted on August 13 by a businessman from the Marwari community, triggering protest by social and political organisations against ”non-Assamese” business owners in Sivasagar, and a public apology was demanded from the community.
After cabinet minister Ranoj Pegu reached the town, a meeting was held on Tuesday to resolve the issue.
A group of Marwari community leaders knelt and offered ‘paan-tamul’ (betel leaves and areca nut), a traditional Assamese custom, as a part of seeking a public apology for the incident.
”The incident was related to the assault of a girl, which cannot be tolerated. The people and different organisations protested against the incident with Education and Sivasagar Guardian Minister Ranoj Pegu trying to resolve the issue”, Sarma told reporters here.
The incident of tendering public apology by kneeling was criticised by some sections of people who claimed that the law should have taken its course.
The chief minister said it was the issue of the honour of a girl and the people of Sivasagar rose to protest against the incident.
”The people of Sivasagar had also protested unitedly when a daughter of the Marwari community was killed in Assam Medical College and Hospital, Dibrugarh a few years ago.
The issue of apology by the community should not be politicised,” he said.
The police have arrested three persons in connection with the alleged assault of the girl arm wrestler so far, a senior officer said.
Sarma also said that people should rise to protest when there is ”any crime against women. It is not a question of any particular community or the involvement of outsiders. Any incident of assault or crime against women will not be tolerated”.
“We would have taken action if the local organisations had demanded money from the businessmen. They were protesting and demanding an apology for the alleged assault of the girl,” the chief minister said.
He claimed that 22 incidents of violence against women have been reported in the last two months from Central and Lower Assam and ”people should protest to ensure that such incidents do not take place”.
During the meeting with the cabinet minister in Sivasagar, the protesting organisations had demanded that legislation be introduced to ensure that land is not sold to ”outsiders” in the district.
They also demanded names of all shops and business establishments must be written in the Assamese scripts and businesses owned by ‘non-Assamese’ people must employ at least 90 per cent of local youth.
The minister said that the government led by Sarma is working whole-heartedly to ensure that land rights, employment and language of the indigenous people are protected.
The protestors had closed down all shops and business establishments of the Marwaris since Monday but most reopened during the day. PTI DG BDC
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