GUWAHATI: Chaos broke out at the Brahmaputra Carnival on January 14, 2025, when a boy was reportedly beaten up near the parking lot at Lachit Ghat around 8:30 p.m. A video of the incident surfaced later, raising concerns about the safety of visitors at the event.
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According to eyewitnesses, the altercation began when a group of boys created a disturbance near the parking area.
A heated altercation erupted at the Brahmaputra Carnival after a boy was allegedly caught breaking the windows of parked vehicles belonging to visitors. According to eyewitnesses, when confronted by the parking staff, the boy reacted by using abusive language, which escalated the situation. This led to a scuffle, during which the boy was reportedly beaten by the parking lot members.
Talking to GPlus, a teacher who attended the carnival said, “If a citizen calls the police, why does the public start targeting them just because they are Hindi-speaking? And why are parking attendants with such behavior allowed to manage these lots?” she questioned, indicating a deeper issue of public harassment.
An official from the Fancy Bazaar Police Outpost, while speaking to GPlus said, “Our officers are always on duty, and sometimes we catch these troublemakers and issue warnings. However, the investigation is still ongoing.”
When asked whether any formal complaints had been lodged, the teacher said the boys fled the scene before police could arrive. Confirming this, an official from Bharalumukh Police Station told GPlus, “By the time we reached, the boys had already escaped.”
Talking to GPlus, a member of the Lachit Ghat Parking Lot said, “They are mostly drug addicts and thieves. This is not a one-time thing—it happens regularly. Just 10 to 15 days ago, a group of boys smashed the windows of at least eight cars and took valuables from inside. When our staff tried to catch them, they started hurling abuses. Four of them ran off the moment they heard they had have to pay for the damage.”
In one particular incident, the parking staff managed to catch one of the boys and contacted his family. “His father came and compensated the car owners for the damage. But this is just one example—such incidents happen almost every day,” he added.
The member further added, “It was not just us—even the public told us to beat them up because they cause chaos here almost every day, troubling everyone in the area.”
According to the parking lot member, the staff often face backlash from the public when such incidents occur, even though they try their best to maintain order. “We have to pay out of our pockets sometimes because visitors complain about us, thinking we are responsible. We try to keep things under control, but these miscreants escape, and later they return with groups of drug addicts, causing more trouble,” he explained.