?Thousands gather for last rites of deceased Congress worker in Assam

Guwahati, Dec 19 (IANS) Thousands gathered to bid farewell to the deceased Congress party worker Mridul Islam in Assam's Kamrup district on Thursday.

One of the villagers said, "It is hard to believe that Mridul Islam is no more. He was a lovely person. When we needed him, he used to extend help. We will miss him badly."

The 45-year-old Mridul Islam died on Wednesday after participating in a Congress protest march to Raj Bhawan in Guwahati. The Congress party has alleged that the police used excessive teargas to disrupt the protest leading to Islam's untimely death.

The state unit of the Congress party has lodged a complaint against the local police, claiming excessive use of teargas shells which led to Islam's death.

Islam was a member of the Congress party's State Congress Legal Cell.

According to the state Congress, Islam was among the numerous demonstrators who sustained injuries in police action.

According to Assam Congress General Secretary Bipul Gogoi, police lobbed teargas shells indiscriminately, affecting everyone in the vicinity, including elderly people, children, and individuals with respiratory conditions.

"It is clear that the actions of the Assam Police directly led to Islam's tragic death. FIR is being filed to request that immediate and strict action be taken against the police personnel responsible for their excessive and unlawful use of force, which directly caused the death of an innocent citizen," Gogoi said in his complaint.

Diganta Barah, the Commissioner of Police in Guwahati, refuted the claims by the Congress party, stating that the cause of Islam's death was yet unknown.

"It is too soon to determine the cause of death, even though it's true that he became ill during the protest and passed away in Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) while receiving treatment," Barah remarked.