Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah today inaugurated the Jyoti–Bishnu International Art Centre in Guwahati, Assam. He also inaugurated the newly constructed Police Commissioner’s Office building, the Command and Control Centre, and a state-level exhibition on the three new criminal laws. On this occasion, Assam Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma, Union Minister Shri Sarbananda Sonowal, and several other distinguished dignitaries were present.

In his address, Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah said that on a single day today, several programmes were organized in Assam covering all dimensions of development, identity, culture, and security. He said that the newly constructed Police Commissioner’s Office, built at a cost of ₹111 crore, was inaugurated today and that it is not only state-of-the-art but also well-equipped with modern facilities. He said that the Integrated Command and Control Centre, constructed at a cost of ₹178 crore and aimed at translating the concept of smart policing into reality, was also inaugurated today. Shri Shah said that the three new criminal laws, which will ensure delivery of justice in Assam from the session’s court to the Supreme Court within three years in the coming days, were also introduced through an exhibition.

Shri Amit Shah said that earlier this morning, a grand memorial of Srimanta Shankardev was also inaugurated in Nagaon. He said that clearing encroachments by infiltrators from 162 acres of land and constructing a memorial to Srimanta Shankardev is a significant symbol of the revival of Assam’s culture. He said that today the Shri Jyoti–Bishnu Auditorium has been inaugurated here. He added that the inauguration of this auditorium, built at a cost of approximately ₹291 crore in memory of two great litterateurs and artists—Jyoti Prasad Agarwala and Bishnu Prasad Rabha—and with a seating capacity of 5,000 people, is a reflection of Assam’s development.

Union Home Minister said that no matter how much is said about Shri Jyoti Prasad Agarwala and art Guru Shri Bishnu Prasad Rabha, it will never be enough. He said that Agarwala made Assam’s first film, Joymoti, thereby laying the foundation of Assamese cinema. Shri Shah said that Agarwala also worked to ignite the yearning for freedom among the people of Assam by linking music, theatre, and literature with patriotism. He said that this awakened self-respect and patriotism in the hearts of the people of Assam, which was later carried forward by Gopinath Bordoloi through a strong movement that compelled first Prime Minister to ensure that Assam became a part of India.

Shri Amit Shah said that art Guru Bishnu Prasad Rabha strengthened the freedom revolution through art. He said that Rabha connected ordinary people—workers, farmers, and tribal communities—to the freedom movement through his natural, simple, and literary expressions. He added that Rabha spread awareness against foreign misrule and the poverty, inequality, and social injustice that arose from it.

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that Assam has emerged from a very long, nightmare like period. He said that Assam a decade ago witnessed bomb blasts, blockades, firing, violent groups, and agitations. The Home Minister said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi over the past 11 years, Assam has moved onto the path of development and is now progressing in step with the rest of the country. He said that infiltrators had encroached upon land across Assam, but over the past 10 years—especially during the last five years of Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma’s tenure—1 lakh 29 thousand bighas of land have been cleared of encroachments.

Shri Amit Shah said that those who speak about Assam’s art, literature, and culture were the ones who brought a law in 1983 to settle infiltrators here. He said that after the arrival of infiltrators, Assam’s art, culture, music, and language cannot survive. He added that for vote-bank politics, the opposition had even put a question mark on Assam’s very existence. Shri Shah said that his party’s government has been in power in Assam for the past 10 years, and in the next five years they will drive out each and every infiltrator from Assam. He said that this alone will protect Assam’s culture, language, and music.

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that the Modi government has established peace in Assam by entering into agreements with all violent groups of the state. He said that as a result of these agreements, more than 10,000 youth have laid down their arms and returned to the mainstream, and Assam is now moving forward on the path of development. He said that today industries worth lakhs and crores of rupees are being set up in Assam, infrastructure is being developed, Kaziranga has become one of the country’s most important tourist destinations, and through the towering statue of Lachit Borphukan, efforts have been made to embed his legacy in the hearts of the youth. He added that after a long time, a proper memorial has also been built for the martyrs of the Assam Movement, thereby delivering a form of justice to them.

*****

RK/PR/PS/SS