CPI(M) members held a protest rally on October 7, 2026, demanding flood relief for eastern Assam. Police detained over 2,000 people after scuffles during the march. Meanwhile, Akhil Gogoi continued his hunger strike. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said he delayed aid so Gogoi could not take credit for it.
Less than a week after Raijor Dal president and MLA Akhil Gogoi began his indefinite hunger strike demanding immediate financial assistance to flood-affected families, members of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) organised a protest rally on Wednesday (October 7, 2026) to press for a similar demand.
According to Nirankush Nath, CPI(M) State Secretariat member, more than 2,000 protestors were detained following scuffles with police personnel at various points during their thwarted march to Dispur, the State's seat of power.
Seek judicial inquiry
The protestors demanded immediate relief and rehabilitation for the flood-affected people of eastern Assam, particularly in Charaideo and Sivasagar districts, and a judicial inquiry into the causes of the devastating floods in June.
Financial aid to flood-hit people delayed as I won't let Akhil Gogoi take credit for it: Himanta
The other demands included the formation of a North East Flood Management Authority, recognition of floods and erosion in Assam as a national problem, measures to halt the rising prices of essential commodities, and the immediate resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Mr. Nath said thousands of people from different parts of the State were scheduled to participate in the march, but the police and civil administration imposed a virtual ban on assembly and movement of protestors and heavily barricaded the entry points to Guwahati.
"Large numbers of protestors were intercepted at different locations, picked up by the police and taken to a designated protest ground for detention. There were scuffles between protestors and police at several points," he said.
Among those detained were senior leaders of the Assam State Committee, including State Secretary Suprakash Talukdar, Central Committee Member Isfaqur Rahman and veteran party leader Deben Bhattacharya.
Gogoi's strike continues
Meanwhile, Mr. Gogoi's hunger strike entered its sixth day on Wednesday. His demands include ₹10 lakh compensation for each flood-hit family and a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the eastern Assam floods.
Reacting to his fast, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the financial assistance to flood-affected people was being delayed so that Mr. Gogoi could not claim credit for its release.
Mr. Gogoi represents the Sivasagar Assembly constituency, among the worst affected during the floods in June.