Assam: Protest erupts in Margherita, effigy of Assam CM burned over alleged police brutality

The Assam Tea Tribes Student Association (ATTSA) Margherita branch torched an effigy of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday. The protest, held at Namdang Tea Estate Tiniali, was a reaction to a recent police crackdown on ATTSA members and tea garden workers.

The incident that sparked the outrage occurred earlier this week at the Hathikhuli Tea Estate in Kaziranga, Golaghat district, where a lathi charge by Assam Police left several ATTSA members and workers injured. The aggressive response has fueled anger among the local tea tribes community, who accuse both the police and state authorities of brutal and unjust behavior.

Over 100 ATTSA members rallied at the protest site, chanting slogans against Chief Minister Sarma, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Assam Police. They condemned the recent violence and criticized the government's handling of the situation.

Umesh Jaal, Assistant Secretary of ATTSA's Tinsukia district executive committee, voiced strong objections to the state's recent land acquisition decision. He claimed the Tourism Department's transfer of a large plot of tea garden land to the Hyatt Group for a five-star hotel project would render thousands of tea garden workers jobless. Jaal warned that further actions against the tea garden workers could lead ATTSA to boycott BJP representatives and ministers in the region.