Assam is one of the states in the country whose citizens are always politically active and they express the same through protests or street demonstrations, especially in the heart of Guwahati.
As such, the Gauhati High Court, in a historic decision in 2018, had coaxed the district administration to announce a particular location at Chachal, VIP Road as the new address for holding major protests in Guwahati. After the order, a protest podium was established near the All Assam Tennis Association court.
The order had also stated that Dighalipukhuri will no longer be the official venue for holding protests in the city. Prior to this the southern bank of Dighalipukhuri was the preferred location for all kinds of protests and demonstrations and one-half of the arterial GNB Road was perennially blocked to accommodate such activities throwing the traffic and commuting of the area out of gear on a regular basis.
The Gauhati High Court had taken the decision after several reports were filed regarding the massive traffic congestion that would occur in and around Dighalipukhuri due to the protests. It has been two years since that decision.
A peaceful protest is the democratic right of every citizen under the Right to Freedom of Speech and Expression. But, in Guwahati, protestors seem to have taken this right a bit too much for granted.
Various protests have been held in recent times in the city. Some of the prominent ones are the recent city bus strike for fee hike, farmers’ protest for scrapping the farm bills, and the bike taxi operator strike for increasing the fares.
However, a striking similarity in all of these protests was that they were held in different parts of the city randomly rather than the actual designated place in Chachal.
Another day, similar story
On 14th December last, the protest led by the Centre of Trade Unions (CITU) and other organisations rocked the city. The demonstrations were held at the Gauhati Club rotary that bears the statue of Lakshminath Bezbaroa near the Burah Jame Masjid opposite TC School. The farmers’ protest was held during the prime rush hours of the day at this critical traffic junction. The traffic police had to divert the vehicle in-flow from the Uzanbazar side. This blocked the entire area and created congestion. The slowed pace of the traffic was evident as the area is one of the most dense in terms of traffic.
"We try to divert the traffic from the Uzanbazar side. But, its inevitable there will be snarls," the on-field traffic official told G Plus.
G Plus spoke to a few of the commuters who were disgruntled by the protesters blocking the roads. “I regularly commute to Ulubari from Uzanbazar for work and these congestions hinder my work schedule. This has been happening a lot in this part of the town due to more and more protests,” said a media executive.
Meanwhile, G Plus spoke to one of the protesting bodies - CITU - to understand their request to protest in the heart of the city. "If we protest in Chachal, who will come?" stated a member from the CITU Guwahati Unit, one Mr Barman. He further explained that protests are usually targeted towards departments that will just not be affected if the protests are undertaken at the VIP Road location in Chachal. "It is our democratic right to protest for issues. The designated place given for protests lacks exposure," said Barman.
On the issue of how they got permission to protest at this non-designated site, he said, "We couldn't take the permission on time but we gave the information to the police that we are protesting."
What has the administration got to say?
The District Administration of Kamrup (Metro) too has taken stock of the matter. G Plus spoke to Biswajit Pegu, Deputy Commissioner, who acknowledged the apprehension shown by the protestors to go to the designated protest site at Chachal. He added that the police are also hesitant on giving permission yet the protestors insist on the same for their demonstrations.
G Plus spoke to Commissioner of Police (CoP), Munna Prasad Gupta, to ascertain what factors are taken into consideration before giving permission to protest in non-designated places. "We give the permission as per the situation. We do assessment of any further problems that might arise from the protest," said Gupta. He however denied giving permission to the farmers’ protest at the Gauhati Club rotary.
"The police was there to contain any violence or related untoward incident and to maintain law and order," Gupta added. The CoP also addressed the issue of the designated protest site. "We encourage them to go to Chachal and sometimes they violate orders leading to even cases getting registered for the same reason," added Gupta.
The media exposure
The concerns raised by the protesters have a commonality that concerns of lack of exposure. G Plus spoke to Sanjoy Roy, General Secretary of Guwahati Press Club (GPC). "I personally believe that media coverage entirely depends on the gravity of the issue for which the protests or demonstrations are staged. For a journalist, proximity should never be a matter of concern,” said Roy. The GPC Secretary further stated the proximity issue.
"Since media persons in Guwahati assemble at the GPC on a daily basis, it becomes easier for the organisers to approach them. Having said that, it is time that organisations also keep public convenience in mind before staging such protests in the heart of the city.”
Meanwhile, the Protest Manch has become a favourite recreation area for the residents of VIP Road. The locals of the nearby residences go there early morning for exercising and walks. In the afternoon, local boys play cricket there.