Assam: AASU advises general secretary to resign over blackmailing charges

Guwahati, Sep 10 (IANS) The chief advisor of the All Assam Students Union (AASU), Samujjal Bhattacharya said that the general secretary of the students’ body, Shankar Jyoti Baruah will be relieved of his post following a complaint by a female student of Gauhati University of cheating, blackmail, and harassment against him.“The president of AASU Utpal Sarma and I have discussed the matter in length with Baruah and he will be relieved from the post of general secretary. This was done to safeguard the image of the student organisation. In the upcoming state-level meeting of the body, Baruah is expected to take leave from his duties, Bhattacharya told media persons.The female student has alleged that Baruah had threatened her, emotionally and physically abused her, and made false promises of marriage. The charges have generated a lot of criticism but the AASU is tackling the situation head-on while also allowing Baruah to voluntarily resign.While Baruah acknowledges having dated the student in the past, he claimed that he had called off the relationship six months ago. He has taken an anticipatory bail in the case.The student leader said that these were private issues and that he did not want his personal affairs to be made public. He said that he would provide all information in court and take the appropriate action following the hearing.“My mom is also experiencing mental distress. Both my mother's health and the health of the girl involved are major concerns. I am so grateful to everyone who has helped me at this difficult time. I acknowledge that I have been in a relationship with the girl since 2021, but I also want to be clear that we were no longer together, Baruah said.“Since last few years, a number of disagreements surfaced in our relationship, and over time, these disagreements begun to intensify. It's true what the girl said. She got along well with my mother as well. I have kept a distance from this issue for the past six months, he added.The 22-year-old girl who is studying in the Law Department at Gauhati University also reportedly tried to kill herself by consuming antibiotics. She filed a police complaint against the top AASU leader a few days ago.--IANStdr/dan

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