Assam: CJI Gogoi made to wait at Kamakhya temple; IPS officers suspended

The three Assam IPS officials will remain suspended as they made the Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi and his wife wait in queue on October 17 at Kamakhya temple. The police officers, in order to maintain the arrangements for security of BJP president Amit Shah and Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal allegedly forced to CJI Gogoi to wait for hours in the queue.

CJI Gogoi and his wife went to visit the Kamakhya temple to get a glimpse of Goddess Kali on the occasion of Mahaashtami. Expressing his displeasure over the discrepancies in the security lapse and misled priorities, Justice Gogoi took the matter seriously and the state government suspended three IPS officers.

Additional deputy commissioner Pulak Mahanta has been accused of ‘referring to the Chief Justice in a disrespectful manner while looking at his approaching VVIP car before a Guard of Honour’ and others — including Deputy Commissioner of Police Bhanwar Lal Meena and an additional deputy commissioner Prasanta Pratim Kathkotiya — have been accused of security lapses. They have been suspended according to the government rule.

Referring this as ‘sycophancy’ of the state’s BJP government, senior Congress leader Debabrata Saikia alleged that though the CJI kept waiting outside the temple, while political personalities were being entertained inside. He also alleged that this incident exposed the desperate attempt by BJP leaders to please their ‘political masters’. Further adding, ‘misplaced priorities’ resulted in police officers being made scapegoats.

As per the reports, the temple gates were opened for only three hours on that day and there was massive rush of devotees to get a glimpse of the Goddess. Along with it, a large number of people came to see the BJP chief, due to which the Chief Justice had to wait.

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