In a scathing condemnation of the Assam government, Assam Pradesh Mahila Congress president Mira Borthakur Goswami likened the police crackdown on protesting women in Silsako to the oppression faced under British rule.
Videos that surfaced on Tuesday show indigenous women being dragged, thrown into mud, and detained by police while demanding their land rights. The women were later taken to Panbazar Police Station, sparking outrage across sections of civil society.
Borthakur, who received the videos while attending a Political Affairs Committee meeting, said she was “shocked and heartbroken” by the visuals. 
“Women were dragged like criminals for demanding their land rights. On one hand, the BJP government distributes Arunodoi benefits and land certificates to some women, and on the other, indigenous women are being humiliated and arrested for asking what rightfully belongs to them,” she said.
She lashed out at what she called the “double standards” of the Assam government, questioning its priorities.
“Around 1,200 families in Silsako have been evicted in the name of flood management. People built homes with their life savings. Yet, even after the evictions, Guwahati continues to flood. Why was Ginger Hotel not bulldozed?” Borthakur asked, hinting at selective enforcement of eviction drives.
Calling the incident a “dark day for women’s dignity in Assam,” Borthakur said the government was spending lavishly while the state remained ₹1.8 lakh crore in debt, and poor women were still being displaced and criminalized for seeking one katha of land.
“The police, under BJP’s direction, dragged these women as if they were offenders. The Chief Minister must answer why no action is taken against influential land grabbers,” she added.
A video from the site shows female police personnel physically lifting and dragging women protestors from the ground — scenes that Borthakur said shattered the government’s “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas” slogan.
When contacted by Northeast Scoop, Deputy Commissioner (East) of Guwahati Police Mrinal Deka declined to comment.
Urging citizens to rise above fear and demand accountability, Borthakur said:
“The people of Assam must take note of these injustices. The time has come to demand a report card from Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for these heartless evictions.”
