Security lapse during CJI’s visit: Devabrata Saikia seeks probe

Accusing the state government of violating protocol during Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi’s visit to Kamakhya temple in Guwahati on Wednesday, leader of the opposition in the State Assembly Devabrata Saikia has demanded an enquirer by a sitting or retired High Court judge to fix responsibility.

He further demanded that arbitrary way of assigning protocol duties must be ended forthwith and that the practice of making scapegoats of junior-level officers must be done away with and the penalised junior officers reinstated immediately

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Saikia said that it was an unfortunate incident involving the CJI at the Kamakhya Mandir on October 17 which has once again exposed the desperate attempt by the state government to please political personalities belonging to the ruling dispensation by using the state government machinery and this sort of misplaced priorities had resulted in a Junior State Service Officer and a police officer being made scapegoats and placed under suspension.

Assam Government on Saturday suspended the Guwahati West Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) for not ensuring adequate security for CJI Gogoi when he visited Kamakhya Temple in the city.

“In terms of protocol, the CJI has precedence over any political personalities and as per norms, a Commissioner-level officer should have been deputed to coordinate the visit of the CJI and ensure due courtesy to His Lordship.

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“This was not done because taking the cue from the state government, the officers were busy bending over backwards to please their political masters at the Centre.

“The prestige of the people of Assam has been dented by the fact that in his home state, the CJI was kept waiting outside the temple while political personalities were being entertained inside the temple. The security and protocol lapse merely highlights the larger malaise of breakdown of the administrative machinery in Assam,” Saikia said.