Over 100 prominent citizens of Assam have condemned the “hurdles” the Congress’s Nyay Yatra had to encounter in the state, prompting Rahul Gandhi to thank the “100 voices” that had “spoken against hatred and violence”.

A statement issued by the 100 citizens, shared by the Assam Congress on Thursday, condemned the attacks on the Yatra vehicles and Congress leaders. It criticised chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s response to the Yatra.

The Yatra, which entered Bengal on Thursday morning, had got embroiled in a conflict with the administration since entering Assam on January 18.

Two FIRs have been lodged against Congress leaders, including Rahul and state unit chief Bhupen Kumar Borah, for allegedly failing to adhere to the permitted Yatra routes and breaking through police barricades, among other charges.

The statement by the 100 citizens, who include intellectuals, journalists, activists and writers, said: “Some people may support this (Yatra) and some others may not. But nobody should try to stop the Yatra. But, when the Yatra entered Assam, the government of Assam tried everything to create obstructions in its way.

“In some places, it was also attacked by some miscreants. They vandalised the vehicles of the journalists accompanying the Yatra and snatched their cameras. Congress president Bhupen Kumar Borah was physically assaulted in Sonitpur district. While all this was happening police remained silent spectators.”

The statement underlined that the Yatra had started peacefully from “troubled” Manipur.

“It passed peacefully through Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh without any interruption.... It was only in Assam that the Yatra was repeatedly obstructed/ attacked. We condemn the attacks on the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra and demand of the government that those who indulged in it should be arrested and punished as per the provision of law,” it said.

It appealed to Rahul and all the other Yatra participants to “remain peaceful and nonviolent and never get exercised by such provocations”.

The signatories to the statement include Nagen Saikia, K.K. Bhattacharjya, Harekrishna Deka, Haidar Hussain, Apurba Sarma, Kulendu Pathak, Ajit Kumar Bhuyan,Taufiq Rahman Borbora, Apurba Kumar Barua, Manorama Sharma, Lakhminath Tamuli, Dhirendra Nath Saikia, Pradip Acharjya, Absar Hazarika, Padmapani, Indranee Dutta, Rabin Dutta, Deepak Goswami, Ghanashyam Nath, Abdul Mannan, Nalin Borthakur and Paresh Malakar.

Rahul, in a post on X, said: “Assam is a beautiful land of love, respect and kindness. 100 voices that understand her soul have spoken against hatred and violence. I bow to their wisdom and thank them with all my heart.”

In another post on Friday night, Rahul thanked the people of the region where he and the Yatra had generated curiosity, with party members and non-members lining up along the route at various places, including some in Assam.

“To my family in the North East, always remember you have a soldier in New Delhi. I will defend each one of your rights and freedoms in this battle for Nyay. Thank you for the love and kindness you have showered on the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra,” Rahul wrote.

Journalist-activist Malakar, one of the signatories to the statement, told The Telegraph on Friday that the group of 100 were unhappy with the state administration’s handling of the Yatra. “Every day we got to hear about issues related to the denial of permission for grounds or routes,” Malakar said.

“Then there was the attack on Yatra vehicles, tearing down of posters and banners and the attack on the PCC president, the jostling between the Yatris and the police. These issues could have been handled amiably by the administration.”

Malakar added: “No such issues were reported in the first phase of the (Bharat Jodo) Yatra last year. It drew huge crowds in most of the states, including BJP-ruled states, but it passed off peacefully. Even in Manipur, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh or Meghalaya — all non-Congress states — things passed off smoothly (during the Nyay Yatra). We feel the issues encountered by the Yatra have generated bad press for Assam. This could have been avoided.”