Congress suspends Silchar district chief Sajal Acharjee over land row

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has suspended Sajal Acharjee as president of the party's Silchar (Cachar) district committee in Assam, over an alleged move to sell land on which the district party office stands, The Sentinel and Barak Bulletin reported.

In a press release on Saturday, November 7, AICC general secretary KC Venugopal said the Congress president had approved the suspension. Former district president Arun Dutta Mazumdar has been named interim president.

The land at the centre of the row

The controversy concerns a 10-katha plot on Park Road in Silchar, where Indira Bhavan, the Congress district office, is located. An application submitted to the Cachar Deputy Commissioner's office sought a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for its sale. According to details reported by Barak Bulletin, the application named the district Congress committee as seller, represented by Acharjee, and a Silchar resident, Joy Kumar Saha, as the proposed buyer. The boundaries described in the application match those of the party office, though ownership of the plot has not been independently established.

On October 27, Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Gaurav Gogoi had directed that Acharjee be served a show-cause notice and stripped of all his powers as district president. He was given 24 hours to reply.

Acharjee denies it

Acharjee has rejected the charge as false. He told The Sentinel that his signature on the NOC application was forged, that he had lodged an FIR with Silchar police seeking an investigation, and that he had replied to the show-cause notice explaining he had no role. He pointed fingers at former district president Abhijit Paul, and argued that since police are investigating on his complaint, the AICC decision could not be called his removal.

The other side

Paul, the Congress candidate from Silchar in the recent Assembly election, had earlier told Barak Bulletin that documents with the application, including a Rs 1,000 NOC fee he said was paid from Acharjee's own bank account, linked the district chief to the move. He denied any political rivalry. After the suspension, Paul said the AICC acted because Acharjee's reply did not contain enough to disprove his alleged role.

Dutta Mazumdar said the truth would come out only after the investigation, while district general secretary Pappan Deb said more people were involved and everyone responsible should be punished.

The police investigation into Acharjee's forgery complaint is continuing. None of the allegations has been proven.