The principal of Cinnamara Jatiya Bidyalaya, Dibyajoti Sarmah, of eastern Assam’s Jorhat, has been summoned by National Investigation Agency (NIA) for questioning at its Sonapur, Guwahati office on Monday.
He has been summoned with regard to a case number 13/2019 / NIA- Guw dated 14.12.2019 under sections 120 A, 124 B, 153 A, 153 B of IPC and sections 18 /39 of Unlawful Activities Prevention Act.
Sarmah who is reportedly associated with KMSS was arrested by the police at Jorhat along with KMSS firebrand leader Akhil Gogoi on December 12 last year.
He was, however, granted bail after about a week by the sub-divisional court.
Sarmah said he had been contacted by an NIA personnel over phone and had received the letter of summons for questioning on Saturday evening.
“This is just a continuation of the repressive measures being taken up by the government to silence any voice of dissent against it’s policies so that the agitation against the Citizenship Amendment Act loses force in the State,” Sarmah said.
Sarmah further said he had been taken into custody after his active participation in the anti Citizenship Amendment Act 2019 on December 10, 11 and 12.
“I consider this to be an insult to my grandfather as well. He was a freedom fighter who had gone to jail along with Mahatma Gandhi and others during hhe 1942 movement against the British. My arrest and summons indicates how the government is acting to repress the voices of protest in a democracy,” he further said.
Akhil Gogoi who had been arrested in Jorhat has been lodged in jail since December 12 with his health deteriorating in recent days.
The NIA special court at Guwahati had on December 17 sent Gogoi to a 10-day NIA custody, following which he was taken to New Delhi by the investigation agency for questioning.
The NIA has registered a case under Sections 120(B), 124(A), 153(A) and 153(B) of the IPC and Sections 18 and 39 of the UAPA against Gogoi. .
The NIA Special Court at Guwahati on December 26 had remanded Akhil Gogoi to 14-day judicial custody, while rejecting the NIA plea to have him in its custody for another 10 days.