Following is a statement issued by some eminent citizens of Assam, issued in Guwahati on 3 July 2025. It calls for a civil society intervention, via the Assam United Citizens Convention to be held today and tomorrow (5 and 6 July), following the Garukhuti cow scam.

We have seen how our state is being run by the present government. The Garukhuti episode has made it amply clear how this government had thrown all the norms of government functioning to the winds and how favouritism and corruption have eaten into the core of governance. We have also seen how the chief minister of Assam is reacting to the situation and what he has been saying all the time. We think that the Garukhuti incident is not a single and isolated one. Garukhuti symbolises the basic character of Himanta Biswa Sarma government.

There is Garukhuti happening everywhere under this government. The moot question is how the citizens of the state should react and respond to it. The first and foremost thing is – do we want to be citizens or subjects? No self-respecting person wishes to be a subject and all of us must strive to be proud citizens. A citizen cannot remain a mute spectator when they see all kinds of wrongs happening all around them. In the present circumstances when normlessness has become the only norm and lawlessness has become the law, how can we remain silent? The Assam United Citizens Convention to be held at Machkhowa ITA Cultural Centre on 5 and 6 of July is  an initiative to unite as many civil society groups and right-thinking citizens concerned about increasing chaos in our social and political life as possible. The business session of the convention will take place on 5 July and will be attended by about 150 activists coming from different parts of Assam and who belong to different civil society organisations. The business session will discuss the present political situation of Assam in detail. Among other things it will draw up a ‘White Paper’ on the misuse of power and blatant misdeeds of this BJP government and a ‘Charter of Demands’ consisting of urgent and vital measures to bring back the government to a path that can eliminate the damaging excesses and restore the faith of the people in its dedication to their welfare and sound governance. It will  finalise the draft of the white paper and charter of demands.  However, the main issue to be discussed in the business session will be the role of independent citizens and civil society organisations in the prevailing political situation in Assam, particularly in view of the forthcoming 2026 Assembly elections. Hundreds of people from different parts of Assam will attend the open session of the convention on 6 July which will be addressed by public intellectuals and eminent citizens. Social and political activist Yogendra Yadav will address the open session as the chief guest. Leaders of all opposition parties will also attend the open session to express their solidarity with the Assam United Citizens Convention.

Hiren Gohain, Harekrishna Deka, Ajit Kumar Bhuyan, Paresh Malakar, Abdul Mannan, Santanu Borthakur