Congress claims tear gas caused party worker’s death

way2barak, 18 December: The Opposition alleged that Mridul Islam succumbed to injuries caused by a tear gas shell during a protest rally in Guwahati. The police, however, denied the allegations and said that there were no injuries on Islam’s bodwayy.

Congress leaders described the incident as “police brutality” and demanded immediate accountability from the state government.

The incident occurred on December 18 during a Congress demonstration outside Raj Bhawan in Guwahati. The rally, led by Bhupen Borah and Debabrata Saikia, was part of a statewide movement against central government policies and expressed solidarity with the people of Manipur. According to the APCC, Islam, the party’s legal secretary, was injured during a police crackdown involving tear gas. He was rushed to Guwahati Medical College, where he succumbed to his injuries.

Meanwhile, the police denied the allegations and said Islam had complained of uneasiness before he was taken to the hospital.

Diganta Barah, Guwahati Commissioner of Police, said, “There are no injury marks on the body of the deceased. However, he was part of the protests. The post-mortem will reveal how he actually died. We are told he complained of uneasiness and was rushed to hospital. We have not fired but rolled three tear gas shells to disperse the protesters. No one got hurt. Rather the protesters took them and threw on the police. In the past, we have no records of any death due to tear gas shell.”