GUWAHATI: An artist and a youth leader, arrested earlier on Monday, November 11 for objectionable graffiti targeting Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, were remanded to 14 days of judicial custody by the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Court in Guwahati.
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Marshall Baruah, the graffiti artist, and Ankuman Bordoloi, publicity secretary of the Jatiya Yuva Vahini, were detained on Sunday after the graffiti surfaced at Bharalumukh where protests were being held against the government’s move to cut down trees for a road overbridge. A third person, Kamal Kumar, detained with them was, however, allowed to go after a marathon interrogation.
Bharalumukh police produced Baruah and Bordoloi before the court after effecting their arrest.
The trio were taken in for the graffiti "Kick Himanta Save Nature".
According to reports, the government plans to cut down around 70 trees in the area to facilitate construction of the overbridge in a bid to ease traffic congestion. However, local residents and even people from other parts of the city have opposed such a plan and have been holding protests.
Guwahati has of late been witness to protests over tree cutting for infrastructural development. One such instance ended recently after the government decided to change the design of a flyover to avoid cutting down trees at Dighalipukhuri.
