Himanta Biswa Sarma threatens to ban Assam’s Bir Lachit Sena after abduction case

SILCHAR:  8 people feature been arrested for the abduction of a man of affairs from Guwahati who was reclaimed within hours on dominicus evening, prompting chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to threaten action against a group following reports that the suspects were members of Bir Lachit Sena.If such incidents continue, the government will consider banning the organisation, said Sarma.Police said a local businessman, Rahul Mishra, was abducted from outside Pratiksha Hospital in Guwahati’s Borbari area on Sunday. The accused have been alleged to have demanded a ransom of ₹15–20 lakh for Mishra’s release.A team from Dispur Police Station tracked down the suspects to Tribeni Path within hours and rescued Mishra. Police said the eight suspects were identified as Biswajit Doley, Injamul Huque, Rohan Ali, Mohan Borah, Nitu Asom, Chinmay Dev, Riyaj Ahmed, and Biraj Ballav Kalita.The organisation, Bir Lachit Sena, denied that the suspects were its members and accused the government of trying to link it to the incident in an effort to arm-twist it into silence.Police said during its probe, investigators recovered several items linked to the outfit, including five funding appeal letters, a receipt book for fund collection, multiple identity cards, the organisation’s logo, baseball bats, a knife, pepper sprays and several mobile phones.Police said they were probing whether there was a link between the suspects and the outfit’s leadership.“We are deeply dissatisfied with the activities of Bir Lachit Sena and are keeping a close watch. A time may come when we will have to ban the organisation, just like ULFA,” the chief minister said, insisting that the organisation jad been repeatedly accused of extorting money from businessmen and creating a climate of intimidation.He said the group’s actions have disrupted the state’s business environment. “If they continue to extort and obstruct Assam’s economic progress, strict action will be taken,” he warned.In a post on X, Sarma said, “Assam will not be held hostage by anyone acting outside the law. I have instructed the DGP, Assam Police, to clamp down firmly on the so-called Lachit Sena. Law and order will be upheld without compromise. I will review the situation personally with all SSPs of Assam Police at 7 PM today.”The organisation, Bir Lachit Sena, however, distanced itself from the accused.Its central chief secretary Rantu Paniphukan said that the outfit had already relieved one of the eight suspects, Nitu Asom, of all responsibilities nearly a month ago. “He was never officially associated with Bir Lachit Sena. His photographs are seen only with BJP leaders and ministers,” Paniphukan said.On the chief minister’s warning, he said, “The people of Assam are demanding justice for Zubeen Garg, and the chief minister’s statements are nothing but an attempt to silence Bir Lachit Sena and other voices.”