Assam’s Wushu player in jail over FB post, to miss competition

Pronita Chutia, a 23-year-old Wushu player from Assam’s Charaideo district has been languishing in jail for last 45 days for her alleged social media post supporting banned militant outfit United Liberation Front of Assam (I). The distraught parents of the young player has now appealed to the Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to ensure her immediate release from jail so that she can take part in the All Assam Inter-District Senior Wushu Championships scheduled to begin on August 7.

A resident of Baidongia area in Moranhat, Chutia was arrested by the Charaideo police on June 17 for a controversial text she had posted on her Facebook account. In the post, she allegedly professed her support for the ULFA-I, which has been involved in an armed struggle for more than four decades, demanding a sovereign Assam. Chutia was arrested under the provisions of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) after the Moranhat Police took suo moto cognizance of the comment updated by her on a Facebook post. 

Uncertainty surrounds Chutia’s future as the family members are worried over her participation in the upcoming All Assam Inter-District Senior Wushu Championships. The desperate family has now sought CM Sarma’s intervention in the case requesting him to forgive their child. They also offered assurance that the young player would not be indulging in such activities ever in future. “Kindly consider her situation. Don’t leave her disappointed,” said Chutia’s mother Purnima Chutia, in her appeal to the CM.

Wushu is a martial art form which originated in China. Contemporary wushu has emerged as a competitive sport with several international competitions held, including the World Wushu Championships held every two years with rules and regulations are set by the International Wushu Federation, headquartered in Beijing.

Earlier, 18-year-old undergraduate student and a budding poet Barshashree Buragohain from Jorhat district spent more than two months in jail for posting a poem on Facebook, allegedly supporting ULFA-I. She was slapped with the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 and was released on bail by the High Court. Her arrest and incarceration had caused massive outrage across the state.