• We have broken barricades but will not break law: Rahul Gandhi after Cong supporters break police barriers outside Guwahati city, reports PTI

• DGP instructed to register case against Rahul Gandhi for provoking crowd: Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, reports PTI

The Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra was stopped from entering Guwahati city on Tuesday, triggering protests from Congress workers who broke barricades and raised slogans.

The police had to use force to stop the Congress supporters from moving forward.

Earlier, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had asserted that the Yatra would not be permitted to enter the city to avert potential traffic congestion. Despite this, large crowds gathered at the Guwahati Chowk in Khanapara, warmly welcoming Gandhi with spirited slogans and drum beats, reports PTI.

"We have won as we have broken the barricades," AICC in-charge for Assam Jitendra Singh said.

On Monday, leaders of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) announced that the yatra led by Rahul Gandhi had decided to traverse the Guwahati bypass on Tuesday. However, the Assam government has denied permission to proceed through the main routes within Guwahati city.

The Congress said that Guwahati police asked them to take the yatra through NH27 (Khanapara- Jayanagar- Basistha- Gorchuk- Lokhra route). Bedabrata Bora, spokesperson for Assam PCC, stated, according to news reports, "It has been decided to abandon the plan of taking the 'Nyay Yatra' through the main routes of Guwahati. The police are not allowing us. Now, we will gather at Khanapara for a protest meeting, and subsequently, the yatra will move towards the Lower Assam district through the Guwahati bypass."

The Yatra, which entered Meghalaya on Monday, returned to Assam for its last leg. The plan, sources said, was to travel through the outskirts of the state's largest city Guwahati. But now it is uncertain. The Yatra is scheduled to be in Assam till Thursday.

On Monday, Rahul Gandhi was stopped from visiting Batadrava Than owing to “issues related to his security”. The day witnessed competing narratives of the Right-wing ecosystem and the Congress over the Ram temple consecration play out “peacefully” on the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra route in two central Assam districts of Nagaon and Morigaon.

Police said Rahul was not allowed to go because of a letter written by the Sri Sri Batadrava Than Parichalana Committee, which wanted him to visit after 3pm because a lot of devotees were expected there on the occasion of the Ram temple consecration.

Sources said a group of local youths had arranged a live screening of the Ram temple’s inaugural ceremony outside the Than. A lot of people were also expected to turn up to see Rahul. They said the Than committee did not want any kind of misunderstanding between the two groups.

The Congress brass had turned down the invite to the Ayodhya temple inauguration, prompting the Right-wing ecosystem to term them “anti-Hindu”.

Rahul tried to make it to the birthplace of saint-reformer Srimanta Sankardeva to pay his homage by reaching Haiborgaon around 8.25am but ran into barricades put up by the police.