GUWAHATI: Terming that Assam government has made “scapegoats” by suspending a junior-level police officer over security lapses during chief justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi’s visit to Kamakhya temple here on October 17, Congress on Sunday demanded inquiry by a sitting or retired high court judge to fix responsibility and stopping the practice of arbitrarily assigning protocol duties.

“The unfortunate incident involving the Hon’ble Chief Justice of India at the Kamakhya Mandir on October 17 has once again exposed the desperate attempt by the state government to please political personalities belonging to the ruling dispensation by using the government machinery. This sort of misplaced priorities has resulted in a Junior State Service Officer and a police officer being made scapegoats and placed under suspension,” leader of the opposition and Congress legislator Debabrata Saikia said.

Saikia said an inquiry by a sitting or a retired judge should be conducted to must fix responsibility and do away with an arbitrary way of assigning protocol duties.

“The practice of making scapegoats of junior state-level officers must be done away with and the penalized junior officers should be immediately reinstated,” Saikia demanded.

The government on Saturday suspended Guwahati West Deputy Commissioner of Police Bhanwar Lal Meena for lapses in security at the time the CJI was on a visit to the Kamakhya temple.

CJI and his wife’s visit intimated by the General Administration Department to all concerned. The government said lapse of adequate security arrangements for the Chief Justice at Kamakhya Temple caused him inconvenience.

Ahead of CJI, BJP president Amit Shah had visited the temple on the same day along with Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal and finance minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

“In terms of protocol, Chief Justice of India 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. This was not done because taking the cue from the State Government, the officers were busy bending over backward to please their political masters,” Saikia said.

He said 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.

News Source Time of India