Assam Student Charged Under UAPA for Facebook Post Released After 2 Months

The Gauhati High Court granted bail to the BSc student, who hails from Assam's Jorhat, on 21 July.

Barshashree Buragohain.

(Photo: Accessed by The Quint)

Assam student Barshashree Buragohain was released from Golaghat District Jail on Friday, 22 July, after two months of incarceration for a Facebook post allegedly in support of the banned outfit United Liberation Front of Asom - Independent (ULFA-I).

This comes after the Gauhati High Court granted bail to the BSc student, who hails from Assam's Jorhat, in the case on 21 July.

Buragohain had been charged under Sections 10 and 13 of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) for writing a poem on Facebook that was allegedly in support of ULFA-I. However, the post made no mention of the militant outfit.

After the court's judgment, her elder brother Arindom told The Quint:

"We are awaiting her return home. It has been 64 days since she's been away. This is the longest she has been away from home. She rarely spent time outside. Everyone at home is happy that she is coming back. We were all worried."

He added that she was neither a member of ULFA-I nor had any desire to become one.

Buragohain was released subject to the following conditions:

• That she will abstain from committing similar offences to the one she has been accused of.

• That she will cooperate with the Investigating Officer as and when required.

• That she will not directly or indirectly make any inducement, threat, or promise to any person acquainted with the facts of the case.

What Was the Post About? 

The post, in Assamese, read: "One more step toward the sun of freedom. Once again, I will commit treason."

According to the First Information Report (FIR), the lines written by the student "were an implicit endorsement of the ULFA-I" and pointed toward a larger "criminal conspiracy" and "intent to wage war against the Indian government."

As reported by PTI, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswas Sarma earlier said that she was not arrested for writing a poem. He said, "If she had not been arrested, she would have gone to the ULFA(I). How can we allow her to do so? If she goes to the ULFA(I), she will return as a human bomb and kill us."