Digboi: Protesters lifted the blockade on the Digboi–Pengaree NEC Road near Bapapung on Wednesday evening after the district administration announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 4 lakh to the family of deceased trainee Daulat Phukan.
Protesters had kept Phukan’s body inside an ambulance at the protest site, with its doors open for public viewing, turning it into the focal point of the agitation.
Residents and student activists demanded accountability, and the protest ended after they submitted a five-point memorandum to the magistrate on the spot.
In the memorandum, the agitators demanded the prosecution of contractor Matlab Uddin Ahmed of Purvanchal Building Private Limited under relevant legal provisions and called for the company’s immediate blacklisting.
They also sought an enhanced compensation of Rs 40 lakh, a job for one family member of the deceased, and the immediate resumption of the Assam Mala road project.
Additionally, they demanded disciplinary action against negligent PWD officials, whose lapses allegedly led to the tragedy.
As a final point, the protesters warned they would launch a broader and more intense democratic agitation if authorities failed to meet their demands within three days.
The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) added a political dimension to the situation by issuing a suspension order on Wednesday (Ref No. APCC/ORDER/2025/298, dated September 17, 2025) against Matlebuddin Ahmed, who also serves as an Executive Member of the APCC.
General Secretary (Organisation) Bipul Gogoi signed the order, which stated that the party had suspended Ahmed for six months with immediate effect due to a “serious breach of party discipline.”
Gaurav Gogoi, President of the Assam PCC and Deputy Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, authorized the directive.
Meanwhile, the magistrate assured the protesters and the deceased’s family that the administration would engage all stakeholders in discussions and take prompt steps to deliver justice.