Assam: Over 400 detained in Barak Valley during protest against EC’s delimitation proposal

Over 400 protestors were detained in Assam’s Barak Valley on Monday during a 12-hour bandh called by political parties against the delimitation draft proposed by the Election Commission for the state, the Hindustan Times reported.

A delimitation exercise refers to demarcating boundaries of assembly and parliamentary constituencies as well as civic wards.

The bandh was called by the Barak Democratic Front and was subsequently supported by the Congress, Trinamool Congress and the All India United Democratic Front.

All shops and businesses were closed in the Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi districts of the Valley.

Opposition parties in Assam have objected to the Election Commission’s proposal to redraw assembly and parliamentary constituencies, saying that it panders to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s majoritarian agenda.

In the draft released on June 20, the poll body has proposed to abolish several Muslim-majority assembly seats by either merging or subsuming them under other newly-created constituencies – many of them with significant Hindu populations.

Also read: Why the Election Commission’s Assam delimitation proposal is being seen as communal

In Barak Valley, the draft has recommended a reduction of assembly seats from 15 to 13 – one each in the Muslim-majority districts of Karimganj and Hailakandi.

In Barpeta, another Muslim-majority district, the poll body has proposed to reduce the Assembly seats from eight to six. Among them, one would be earmarked for a candidate from the Scheduled Caste community if the draft proposal is accepted.

Overall, the Election Commission has proposed to increase the seats reserved for the Scheduled Castes in Assam from eight to nine, and for the Scheduled Tribes from 16 to 19. However, the poll body has retained the number of Assembly seats at 126 and the Lok Sabha constituencies at 14.

On Monday, Inspector-general (law and order) Akhilesh Kumar Singh said that 206 persons were detained in Cachar, 184 in Karimganj and 91 in Hailakandi until 2 pm, according to the Hindustan Times.

Cachar Superintendent of Police Numal Mahatta said protestors were detained as they were preventing people from going to work.

“These are preventive arrests,” Mahatta said, PTI reported. “We are trying to help the common people.”

Congress MLA Kamalakhya De Purukayastha said that the delimitation draft is a “conspiracy against the people of Barak Valley and also against a particular community”.

He also alleged that no guidelines were followed by the Election Commission in carrying out the delimitation exercise.

“When delimitation was done last time, the population of Barak Valley was 20 lakh, now it is 45 lakh,” he said, according to ANI. “But now, our seats have been reduced. No geographical survey has been done in the region. This whole process is illegal which is [being] protested by us.”

Will move court if proposals not junked: AIUDF

The All India United Democratic Front said it would move court if the delimitation draft proposed by the Election Commission is not shelved, reported PTI.

AIUDF organisational general secretary and MLA Aminul Islam said that the party is carefully studying the draft and will convey their opposition to the poll body by July 11.

“Muslim majority constituencies will decrease by 8-9 seats,” Islam said. “Their only aim is to finish AIUDF and our chief Badruddin Ajmal. This is an attempt to politically finish a particular community.”

He also alleged that the poll body could carry out the delimitation exercise only because of amendments done in the relevant acts by the previous Congress government, according to PTI.

“Two acts were amended and responsibility of delimitation was handed over to the Election Commission from the Delimitation Commission,” he said. “It was done in 2008 when Congress was at the Centre. Congress prepared the blueprint and the BJP is now implementing it.”