Guwahati, Feb 20: The Assam Legislative Assembly turned into a battleground on the fifth day of the Budget Session as Congress MLAs staged an intense protest over the attack on their party MP, Rakibul Hussain, in Nagaon’s Rupahihat on Thursday.

Hussain, the Dhubri MP, along with his son Tanzil Hussain and personal security officers (PSOs), were assaulted by masked attackers wielding cricket bats while en route to a party meeting in Gunomari village. While the MP escaped unhurt, his PSOs sustained minor injuries.

Congress MLAs erupted in protest after their adjournment motion to discuss the attack on MP Rakibul Hussain was rejected. The uproar forced Speaker Biswajit Daimary to adjourn the House twice within 30 minutes.

The commotion began as soon as the session opened on Friday, with Leader of Opposition Debabrata Saikia raising the demand for an adjournment motion at 9:30 AM. He criticized Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s response to the incident in the Assembly the previous day, stating that it lacked remorse and failed to acknowledge the gravity of the attack.

However, Speaker Daimary refused the motion, citing the scheduled discussion on the finance bill. In response to Saikia’s accusation that the government was not taking action against the attackers, Water Resource Minister Pijush Hazarika assured the House that the culprits had been identified and necessary measures were underway.

Dissatisfied with the reply, Congress legislators stormed into the Well of the House, shouting slogans and disrupting proceedings. BJP MLAs retaliated vocally, alleging that similar attacks on their leaders during Congress rule had gone unpunished. The escalating chaos led the Speaker to adjourn the session for 10 minutes.

When the House reconvened, Congress MLAs resumed their protest, again rushing to the Well and demanding an immediate discussion on the issue. The persistent disruptions forced another five-minute adjournment.

Later, addressing the Assembly on behalf of the Chief Minister, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary assured that the police would conduct a thorough investigation and bring the culprits to justice. He reiterated that the Chief Minister condemned the attack and ordered law enforcement to take necessary action. “The truth will come out only after the investigation,” he stated.

Leader of Opposition Saikia, however, remained unconvinced and demanded that the government present an inquiry report along with an action-taken report in the next session of the House.

The police have identified the individuals involved in the alleged incident of assault on Congress MP Sri Rakibul Hussain. The identified persons are as follows:
1/ Harun of Jamtola
2/ Haresh of Fakoli
3/ Basir of Tamulitup
4/ Kasem Ali of Kawoimari
5/ Rosidul of Kawoimari
6/…

— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) February 21, 2025

Chief Minister Sarma later took to X (formerly Twitter), revealing that ten suspects had been identified, and an investigation was in progress. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary assured the House that the culprits would be arrested soon, though Congress leaders remained sceptical, vowing to continue protests until justice was served.

Outside the Assembly, Congress MLAs took their protest to the complex, holding placards and condemning the “murder of democracy.” Saikia slammed the state government for failing to prevent the attack despite prior intelligence, calling it a “deliberate attempt to intimidate the opposition.”

With Assembly elections looming in 2026, political tensions in Assam appear to be at a boiling point, and the latest incident has only added fuel to the fire.

“It is very unfortunate that despite prior information being provided to the Special Branch of the Assam Police and the local police station, an incident like this took place in broad daylight,” Saikia told reporters after the session.

“The police failed to provide adequate security despite prior intelligence. The area has witnessed similar violence before. This attack was an attempt to demoralize Congress workers,” Saikia said.

He accused the Assam government of trying to suppress opposition leaders and criticized CM Sarma’s statement offering additional security to Hussain as “insensitive.” Saikia alleged the attack was a “planned conspiracy” and warned that such incidents could continue until the 2026 Assembly elections.

Congress MLA Jakir Hussain Sikdar also slammed the administration, saying, “The Home Department and Assam Police have completely failed. The attack happened in broad daylight, yet no arrests have been made.”

“We won’t stop protesting until the culprits are arrested. The CM must take responsibility,” he added.

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