GUWAHATI, Dec 2 - Life took an unexpected turn for Rajen Medhi, who had joined the BJP in 2015, during the anti-CAA movement last year, when a security personnel�s bullet hit him. Thereafter, it has been an uphill struggle all along, with no help coming from his party whatsoever. The 63-year-old person was an auto-rickshaw driver by profession and when the anti-CAA movement was at its peak, he was holding the post of vice-president of BJP�s 187 number booth committee of Dispur Legislative Assembly Constituency. With his wife and two children, Medhi was leading a decent life in the city, but on December 12 last year everything got topsy-turvy.
�On the evening of December 12, I went out to buy some groceries and medicines. When I was returning, it was almost dark and a some persons were protesting on the main road. A few moments later, security personnel opened fire and there was a hue and cry. Everyone was running helter-skelter and trying to hide in the nearby bylanes. I, too, started running through the bylane near Hatigaon High School, when a bullet hit me on my left thigh and I fell down,� Medhi said. The bullet hit Medhi from behind and after penetrating through the bones, it went out. After the incident, Medhi was brought to the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) by his family members and police. In the hospital, doctors conducted multiple surgeries, but all the efforts were in vain and his left leg became almost disabled.
�After preliminary treatment, an infection occurred in my leg. From December 12 to March 8, I was under treatment at the GMCH. Though the doctors tried their best and used various latest techniques, I was not lucky enough to get completely cured. Till the next month, I was totally bed-ridden,� Medhi said.
His family members stated that in the GMCH, Rajen got free treatment. After his release from the hospital, however, the family has not got a single paisa from the State government, or other organisations till date.
�Before the incident, I was earning Rs 700-1,000 per day by plying my auto-rickshaw in the city, but at present, no door is open for me to earn a living. My entire family is now dependent on my 26-year-old son. He used to ply an auto van, but his earning is not good enough to cover the entire expenses of the family. Especially during the lockdown, we faced immense financial hardships,� Medhi lamented.
He alleged that no leader from the Assam State BJP called or visited his home during his time of distress.
�Widespread corruption of the Congress government had attracted me towards a promising BJP in 2015. I was optimistic that under the leadership of Sarbananda Sonowal, who had fought a long legal battle to scrap the IM(DT) Act, the BJP would bring about some positive changes to Assam. But that never happened; rather by imposing the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, the BJP did the worst thing possible,� said Medhi, who lives in the Hatigaon area of the city.
�I called our local MLA Atul Bora and begged for help, but did not get any positive response. Till date, I have made several attempts to contact the State BJP president Ranjeet Kumar Dass, but all the efforts were futile. I also called several times on the landline numbers of the State BJP office, but failed to get connected. At present, the numbers might be not in use. I worked a lot during the 2016 election for the party, but during my hard times, the party did not look after me,� he added.
Medhi�s family said that they might have died of starvation during the lockdown, if they hadn�t received help from their neighbours and some residents of the area � such as social activist Nurul Haque.