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

Gandhi later addressed party supporters on the outskirts of the city, and said, "We have broken barricades, but will not break the law".

The police, which had set up barricades at two places to prevent the Yatra from entering the city limits, had to use force to stop the Congress workers, reports PTI.

Gandhi was earlier accorded a boisterous welcome as he tried to enter Guwahati and addressed some varsity students on the way.

Addressing supporters, he said while BJP president J P Nadda took the same route, they were not allowed to travel on it.

"You should not think we are weak. We have broken the barricades," he told his workers and supporters, calling them "babbar sher" (lion).

"They have cancelled my programme at the university. My programme was cancelled, but the students heard me outside," he said.

"Congress workers do not fear anyone," he said, adding that "we will defeat the BJP in Assam and form the Congress government soon." He also lauded the police for doing their job well.

"We know that police officers have done a good job and followed orders, with one person coming and lying down before the (yatra) bus. We are not against you. We are against the chief minister who is most corrupt. Our fight is with him," Gandhi said.

He said policemen were also clapping on his speech but hastened to add that they should not.

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

Gandhi later proceeded from the designated route on the ring road.

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.

Leaders of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) had 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.