Guwahati: The Assam MLA, Sherman Ali Ahmed, days after he was arrested for making provocative statements on an eviction drive around 40 years ago, was suspended on Monday by Congress.
In a one-line statement, Congress said that it has suspended Mr Ahmed with immediate effect for repeatedly violating party discipline.
The Congress had earlier served a show-cause notice to the three-time MLA from Baghbar for justifying the killing of eight people during an agitation in Darrang district in 1983. He called the eight people, seen as martyrs of agitation in the Assamese society, “murderers”.
In its show-cause notice, the Assam Congress has accused MLA Sherman Ali Ahmed of making “politically motivated” statements “with the intention of damaging the party’s image” ahead of the bypolls in the state.
While reacting to last month’s eviction drive in the district that left two persons dead, Ahmed apparently made the remarks. The eviction drive was carried at four places in Dholpur, about 9 km from Sipajhar, on September 20, and nearly 800 families – most of whom were Bengali-speaking Muslims – were removed from 4,500 bighas of land the government claimed ownership for.
Multiple FIRs have been filed against him and his comment has evoked strong reactions across Assam. Ahmed was later arrested from his official residence in Guwahati on October 2.
The recent eviction drive that was carried out at Gorukhuti in Darrang district had turned violent, leaving at least two persons dead in police firing and several others injured in clashes.
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