Noted writer and former deputy inspector general (DIG) of Assam Border Police Hiranya Kumar Bhattacharya passed away on Monday at a private hospital in Guwahati.

Bhattacharya breathed his last at 4:30am at the private hospital where he was undergoing treatment for respiratory illness.

The writer and columnist, whose name finds mention in the Assam Agitation, had also tested positive for Covid-19 that led to the deterioration in his health.

In fact, Bhattacharya was taken into preventive detention under the National Security Act (NSA) in 1981 on charges of rebelling against Assam Police in support of the Assam Agitation.

This led to his finally losing his job in the police force.

However, Bhattacharyya contested his dismissal in the court and won the case in 1996.

Bhattacharya played an active role in the liberation of Bangladesh as he had links with training two batches of the ‘Mukti Bahini’.

The Bangladesh government honoured him with the prestigious Friends of Liberation War Honour in 2013 for his key role in the liberation movement of the country.

His personal experiences and struggles find expression in his notable books ‘Betrayal of North East: The Arrested Voice’ and ‘Operation Lebensraum – Illegal Migration From Bangladesh’.

He was also jailed twice for his active participation in the Assam Movement.