GUWAHATI, Dec 4 - On December 11 last year, when the anti-CAA protest was at its peak, Arjun Biswas was mostly busy attending to the medical needs of his ailing father.
On that evening when he was making his way back to his place after admitting his father to a city-based hospital located in Maligaon area, Arjun was accosted by a team of security personnel near The Assam Tribune office at Chandmari.
By that time, the district administration had clamped curfew in the city following deterioration in the law-and-order situation.
�It was around 7 pm. Without asking me anything, they (security personnel) started beating me. Some of them also trampled me and my head started bleeding profusely. A few minutes later, when the security personnel left the spot, a group of Samaritans approached me and helped me reach the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital,� Arjun said while recounting his ordeal on that fateful evening.
�At GMCH I received multiple stitches on my head and I was on complete bed rest,� Arjun said.
Arjun�s ordeal did not end there. His ailing father who was diagnosed with cancer, breathed his last the same night. �After the incident I was bedridden for almost a month. I could not even perform the rituals after my father�s death. The recurring nature of pain on my head is still taking a toll on my overall health. My health condition does not permit me to indulge in laborious tasks,� Arjun lamented.
Prior to December 11, Arjun who by profession is a battery-operated rickshaw puller, used to ride the rickshaw for 10-12 hours a day and earn a substantial amount.
Unfortunately for him, now riding the rickshaw for even two hours is a tough ask. His wife, who works as a domestic help in a few households, is shouldering the responsibilities of the family.
Arjun laments that although his neighbour informed the police about his painful experiences, no one bothered to record his statement.
None from any of the student bodies or for that matter, any organisation, spared time for him or offered aid for his treatment.
