As the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra led by Rahul Gandhi entered West Bengal on Thursday, the Assam Police made a significant move by transferring the case registered against the Congress leader and others to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). The case pertains to clashes that occurred on the outskirts of Guwahati during the Assam leg of the yatra.

A Special Investigation Team (SIT) will be constituted by the ADGP of CID Assam, as confirmed by Assam police chief GP Singh.

The case against Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders has been registered under nine sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), covering offenses related to rioting, unlawful assembly, and criminal conspiracy. The clashes occurred when Congress party workers clashed with Assam Police on January 23 near the Guwahati city limits. The state government, led by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, had prohibited the yatra from moving towards key Guwahati roads, citing potential traffic disruption.

Expressing dissatisfaction with the roadblocks, Rahul Gandhi accused Chief Minister Sarma of creating hurdles in the Congress’ yatra. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge further raised concerns over Rahul’s security in a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Earlier, Rahul Gandhi had criticized Chief Minister Sarma, labeling him as one of the most corrupt chief ministers in the country. In response, Chief Minister Sarma questioned the Congress party’s motives during the yatra, stating, “The main aim was to destabilize Assam. Now he wants to do Nyay Yatra in Dhubri. Do it, I have no objection. We will arrest him after the Lok Sabha election. If we arrest him before that, it will be politicized. Now the case has been registered, SIT will investigate, and we have evidence.”