Four arrested for pre-Christmas vandalism in Assam school
Guwahati (PTI): Four people associated with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal were arrested for vandalising decorative items used for Christmas celebrations at a school and damaging festive articles in shops in Assam’s Nalbari district, police said.
The arrests were made on Thursday, a senior officer said.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma hailed the police personnel for their prompt action and asserted that his government was committed to "maintaining peace, communal harmony, and ensuring the safety of all institutions and citizens across the state".
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The incident took place on Wednesday when the accused allegedly entered St Mary’s School in Panigaon village under the Belsor police station limits and burnt and damaged decorative items meant for Christmas celebrations.
"Miscreants who vandalised the school have been arrested. They entered the premises unlawfully," the officer said.
He added that the accused vandalised outer decorations, lights, plant pots, and other articles, as well as set some items on fire, resulting in loss of property.
"In connection with the vandalism at St. Mary’s English School, Panigaon, under Belsor Police Station, Nalbari district, the miscreants involved have been arrested. Assam Police acted promptly, and further action will be taken strictly as per law. We are fully committed to maintaining peace, communal harmony, and ensuring the safety of all institutions and citizens across the state," the CM said on X.
"A case has been registered at Belsor police station. Further investigation is going on. We are trying to identify some more people who were involved," the officer said.
The arrested persons are VHP Nalbari district secretary Bhaskar Deka, parishad's district vice-president Manash Jyoti Patgiri and assistant secretary Biju Dutta, along with Bajrang Dal's district convenor Nayan Talukdar, he added.
They had raised 'Jai Shree Ram' slogans and warned the school authorities not to organise Christmas celebrations on the school premises on Thursday, the officer said.
The accused also went to various shops selling Christmas goods in Nalbari town and set fire to some items near the Jain Mandir.
They also entered several shopping malls and business establishments selling Christmas items and burnt the goods, he added.
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Rahul Gandhi defers decision on Karnataka leadership change: Reports
Bengaluru: Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has reportedly put the decision on a possible leadership change in Karnataka on hold after receiving feedback on the potential political repercussions of such a move, according to highly placed party sources.
According to a report published by The New Indian Express on Friday, Rahul Gandhi received detailed inputs from multiple quarters, including election strategist Sunil Kanugol, suggesting that this may not be an opportune time to alter the leadership structure in the state. Based on these assessments, the high command is believed to have decided to defer any immediate decision.
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While Deputy CM DK Shivakumar is yet to get an audience with Rahul, Siddaramaiah sympathisers MLC BK Hariprasad and Minister KJ George met the LoP recently and reportedly voiced their opinion against any change in chief minister.
RDPR and IT/BT Minister Priyank Kharge also met Rahul, but it is not known what transpired between them.
According to party insiders, Rahul Gandhi has been advised that a leadership change at this stage could have adverse consequences for the Congress government in Karnataka. Recently, AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge had said that the confusion over leadership exists only in the party’s state unit and not with the high command.
Also, AICC general secretaries KC Venugopal and Randeep Singh Surjewala are busy in their states of Kerala and Haryana, respectively. While Venugopal is eyeing the CM post if the Congress wins in Kerala, Surjewala aspires to become the Haryana PCC chief.
As a result, sources said, the final call on power-sharing and leadership in Karnataka rests solely with Rahul Gandhi. However, he is expected to travel to Europe after attending the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting in Delhi on December 27 and return only after January 10. Until then, no decision is expected on either a cabinet reshuffle or a change in chief minister.
In all probability, Siddaramaiah is likely to break the record set by D Devaraj Urs as the longest-serving CM. Siddaramaiah will break the record on January 6, completing 7 years and 238 days in office. Also, Siddaramaiah is expected to present a record 17th budget.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is scheduled to leave for Delhi on Friday evening (December 26) to attend the CWC meeting and is likely to meet senior party leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge. He is also expected to hold discussions with Union ministers regarding Karnataka-related projects but is unlikely to raise the issue of leadership change or cabinet reshuffle during this visit.
According to sources, Siddaramaiah may seek approval for a cabinet reshuffle only after Rahul Gandhi returns from his overseas visit.
