Assam Power Minister Bimal Bora on Thursday faced a massive protest by residents at Majuli when he had gone to the river island to take stock of the situation following the boat capsize in the Brahmaputra near Nimatighat in Jorhat district.
Residents tried to block the Minister’s vehicle and raised Bimal Bora Go Back slogans.
They also held the Assam government responsible for the tragic boat mishap on Wednesday.
“The Assam government is fully responsible for this and it is a case of culpable homicide. It should be treated as a planned crime committed by the Assam government,” said a woman protester.
She also questioned why the Ro-Pax vessels, which were launched in October last year, have not operated in the Nimatighat-Kamalabari route of the Brahmaputra.
They also demanded action against the deputy commissioner of Majuli for his alleged ‘negligence to his duties’.
As per the Assam government record, 87 persons travelling in the boat have been rescued and two persons still remain missing.
Among the rescued person, a 28-year-old woman identified as Parimita Das from Guwahati died at Jorhat Medical College and Hospital (JMCH).
Parimita worked as an associate professor at a College in Majuli.