Gangtok:The SPCC president Nar Bahadur Bhandari has sought permission from Sikkim Police Commissioner to undertake lodging his protests through "Satyagraha" against illegal detaining of four congress supporters who have participated in effigy burning of Sikkim Governor in front of Congress Bhawan in development area at Gangtok last evening.
The SPCC supremo has termed police arrests as violation of constitutional rights of members of Congress party as his supporters were inside the premises of Congress Bhawan and therefore no police permission was required to undertake protests against Sikkim Governor who has lost the confidence of opposition parties as he has failed to exercise his powers under Article 371F to solve the issue of Dzongu .
Addressing a press conference here today, SPCC president Nar Bahadur Bhandari termed the arrests as “illegal and unconstitutional.”
“The FIR on which bases the arrests were made is baseless and has no meaning. We were demonstrating inside the Party headquarter premises and it was a part of the Party’s indoor meeting,” Mr. Bhandari said. “The four Congressmen have been detained illegally,” he added.
“The undemocratic attitude of the SDF Government is evident from the fact that it has registered a suo-moto case against the Congress party men and imposed non-bailable sections of IPC against them. This is totally illegal and politically motivated,” the Congress leader said.
Mr. Bhandari further said that the SPCC has written to the Congress high-command in New Delhi, including UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the Union Home Minister apprising them about this latest development. “We have asked the Centre to pay prompt attention to the developments in the State,” Mr. Bhandari said.
“The FIR on which bases the arrests were made is baseless and has no meaning. We were demonstrating inside the Party headquarter premises and it was a part of the Party’s indoor meeting,” Mr. Bhandari said. “The four Congressmen have been detained illegally,” he added.
“The undemocratic attitude of the SDF Government is evident from the fact that it has registered a suo-moto case against the Congress party men and imposed non-bailable sections of IPC against them. This is totally illegal and politically motivated,” the Congress leader said.
Mr. Bhandari further said that the SPCC has written to the Congress high-command in New Delhi, including UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the Union Home Minister apprising them about this latest development. “We have asked the Centre to pay prompt attention to the developments in the State,” Mr. Bhandari said.
Later in the afternoon, a party meeting was held to discuss the follow-up action in view of the arrests. The party had said yesterday that in order to show its solidarity with its arrested colleagues, it would go for a mass court arrest.
Congress sources informed that the mass court arrest idea had been dropped for the time being and the party had instead written to the DG, Police, asking him to release the four arrested Congressmen “unconditionally” by 10 am tomorrow morning. If the Police fail to do so, the party will take “strong actions,” it was informed.
Meanwhile, a Congress press release has said that the party was “expressing its resentment against the Governor V Rama Rao for his reluctance to invoke provision of Article 371 F (g) of the Constitution to curb the illegal activities of the SDF Government and restore democracy and peace in the State.”
Meanwhile, a Congress press release has said that the party was “expressing its resentment against the Governor V Rama Rao for his reluctance to invoke provision of Article 371 F (g) of the Constitution to curb the illegal activities of the SDF Government and restore democracy and peace in the State.”
