Akhil Gogoi Suspends 14-Day Indefinite Hunger Strike in Presence of Pijush Hazarika and Keshab Mahanta
Sivasagar MLA Akhil Gogoi has temporarily suspended his indefinite hunger strike after 14 days of protest demanding compensation and additional relief for flood-affected families in Assam. The hunger strike, which began on October 2, was suspended in the presence of Pijush Hazarika and Keshab Mahanta.
Gogoi had been protesting over the delay in providing adequate compensation to flood-hit families, additional financial assistance, and improvements to damaged infrastructure, among other demands.
Speaking after the suspension of the protest, Keshab Mahanta said the government had identified 57,000 families for compensation and initiated the process of providing assistance. He added that the government was considering Gogoi’s demand to include more affected families. According to Mahanta, ₹4.60 crore had been released, and the Chief Minister had assured a high-level inquiry into the matter.
Pijush Hazarika, meanwhile, requested Gogoi to remove a particular statement from the memorandum alleging that flood victims were suffering in the open while ministers and officials remained in air-conditioned rooms. Hazarika also said arrangements would be made to distribute one lakh coconut saplings across Sivasagar, Charaideo and Jorhat.
Akhil Gogoi also urged the government to look into the plight of a panchayat under the Dimow constituency, claiming that it had yet to receive any relief assistance.
Announcing the suspension of his hunger strike, Gogoi clarified that the agitation had not ended permanently.
“I have suspended the hunger strike, but it has not been called off forever. If the government fails to act, I will return to the streets and launch another protest. The government must honour the assurances it has given; otherwise, we will be compelled to resume the hunger strike,” he said.
Reflecting on the 14-day protest, Gogoi thanked journalists for their support throughout the agitation. He recalled the devastating floods of July 19, which, he said, had destroyed the homes of nearly two lakh people and left numerous families struggling to rebuild their lives.
Akhil Gogoi said the disaster had destroyed essential belongings and assets belonging to many middle-class families, prompting his party, Raijor Dal, to raise the issue of relief and rehabilitation.
He also recalled staging a protest in front of the Deputy Commissioner’s office on August 15. After several protests failed to elicit the desired response, he began his hunger strike on October 2, Gandhi Jayanti, after paying tribute at the statue of Mahatma Gandhi.
With the hunger strike now suspended, attention turns to whether the government will fulfil its assurances on compensation, relief distribution and rehabilitation for Assam’s flood-affected families.
