Not CM, it was Atul Bora’s convoy hit by bottle in Golaghat: Official report

Guwahati, July 2: In a fresh development in the Golaghat protest incident, it has come to light that the plastic bottle allegedly hurled during the demonstration struck Agriculture Minister Atul Bora’s convoy — not Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, as previously believed.

In a letter dated June 30 to the Officer-in-Charge of Golaghat Police Station, Inspector of Police Mintu Handique stated that the incident occurred while Minister Bora’s convoy was passing near the GDSA Indoor Stadium on June 29.

“During the agitational programme, at about 1:20 pm, some miscreants from Congress Bhawan, located adjacent to the road, threw a green-coloured plastic bottle (1 litre) at the convoy of Shri Atul Bora. It hit the KIA vehicle with registration no. AS-01GF/6600…” the letter read.

A copy of the letter is with The Assam Tribune. It describes the incident as one that threatened the safety and security of the Minister, "indicating a criminal conspiracy".

A copy of the letter 

According to the letter, a group of Youth Congress workers had gathered near the stadium around noon on Sunday to stage a protest.

“They shouted slogans against Jayanta Malla Baruah and attempted to show black flags. Eight black flags were seized from their possession. They also tried to come out onto the road to demonstrate and create a law-and-order problem…” the letter further noted.

So far, six individuals, including Pallab Chetia, secretary of the Golaghat District Congress Committee, and Rahul Phukan, son of a former Block Congress secretary, have been detained in connection with the incident.

The complaint seeks action under Sections 61(2) (criminal conspiracy), 191(2) (rioting), 196 (promoting enmity), 152 (acts endangering sovereignty), and 352 (intentional insult) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

A case (Golaghat P.S. Case No. 1062/2025) has been registered, and police say an investigation is underway.

Interestingly, initial buzz on social media and local reports had mistakenly identified the target as the Chief Minister’s convoy. The confusion spread rapidly until the letter made it clear that it was the Agriculture Minister’s route that was targeted, not the CM’s.

Earlier, Chief Minister Sarma himself had reacted to the incident, stating on social media that he “would have been happy if the bottle had hit him instead of the car.”

While the opposition Congress has maintained that the demonstration was a symbolic protest, the ruling BJP insists that throwing an object at a VVIP convoy crosses the line between dissent and danger.

On July 1, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) staged statewide protests condemning the incident. Senior party leaders and ministers accused the Congress of orchestrating the act and demanded strict action.