Bikramaditya Dutta Kakoty, Duliajan: A day after the arrest of former All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) General Secretary Sankorjyoti Baruah, widespread protests broke out across Upper Assam, targeting the controversial BN Singh petrol pump lease agreement.
Led by the district units of Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, and Charaideo, demonstrators gathered outside Oil India Limited’s (OIL) head office, braving rain to demand the immediate cancellation of the land lease agreement granted to the BN Singh petrol pump. Protesters, including leaders from the Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad (AJYCP), alleged irregularities and favoritism in the sanctioning process.
“OIL has extended illogical sympathy towards Hindi-speaking business lobbies, while local Assamese youth suffer from rampant unemployment,” protesters shouted as they blocked the OIL office gate for hours.
A meeting between OIL officials, district administration, and protest leaders failed to resolve the standoff, prompting demonstrators to resume their agitation with renewed vigor.
Key leaders such as Udayan Baruah, Gauranga Gogoi, Prabin Tamuly, Kalyan Jyoti Moran, Jharna Mahan, and Langkeswar Gogoi led the charge in front of OIL’s headquarters, while a parallel protest was held at the BN Singh petrol pump near Duliajan PS.
This second protest, led by Rantu Pani Phukan and other AJYCP and local leaders, saw over a hundred agitators demanding an immediate shutdown of the station and an official inquiry into the lease.
“We, the indigenous Assamese, will not bow to non-Assamese external Hindi lobby forces,” declared members of the Bir Lachit Sena.
Following mounting pressure, the Dibrugarh District Administration temporarily sealed the petrol pump pending further investigation.
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