Making an exception this time, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma unfurled the national flag on the Republic Day in Dibrugarh instead of the state capital Guwahati. The Chief Minister usually celebrates the Republic Day in Guwahati but this time the celebration was held in Khanikar Parade ground of Dibrugarh in Eastern Assam. The celebration was followed by an announcement by Sarma revealing the plan to develop Dibrugarh as the second capital of the state.
Sarma said that within the next three years, Dibrugarh will become the second capital of Assam. “Today is an important day in Dibrugarh’s journey to become the second capital of Assam. For the first time, state celebrations are taking place in this historical city”, he said. Both the Republic Day celebration in Dibrugarh and the announcement are significant considering the militancy-infested past of the place.
Furthermore, Sarma said that after the Dibrugarh Assembly Complex is ready in 2027, at least one session of the state assembly will take place there every year. “From January 25 next year, the construction work for a permanent building of the Assam assembly will begin. In the next three years, Dibrugarh will become an important city in India”, he said.
Infrastructure to be developed in Dibrugarh, Tezpur and Silchar
Sharing the images from the Republic Day celebration on X (formerly Twitter), Sarma wrote, “The successful hosting of #RepublicDayCelebration in Dibrugarh today without any calls for boycott or any toward incident proves yet again that Assam is now a safe state – for investors, tourists, visitors and its citizens.
The successful hosting of #RepublicDayCelebration in Dibrugarh today without any calls for boycott or any untoward incident proves yet again that Assam is now a safe state – for investors, tourists, visitors and its citizens.
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) January 26, 2025
Jai Hind 🇮🇳 জয় আই অসম pic.twitter.com/pM71aI42F6
Sarma added that the state government will develop three towns of Dibrugarh, Tezpur and Silchar into cities by developing infrastructure. “Dibrugarh will have an Assembly Complex by 2027”, he said.
The CM said that Tezpur will be developed as the cultural capital of the state, and a Raj Bhawan will come up in the historic town. Moreover, he announced that the Barak Valley town Silchar will have a Mini Secretariat & Chief Secretary’s Office.
We are developing infra to turn three towns into cities – Dibrugarh, Tezpur & Silchar.
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) January 26, 2025
✅Dibrugarh will have an Assembly Complex by 2027 and will be Assam’s 2nd Capital
✅Tezpur will emerge as the Cultural capital and will house a Raj Bhawan
✅Silchar will house a Mini… pic.twitter.com/e3rqvf3OFN
“Dibrugarh is all set to host the Central Republic Day celebrations for the first time and the town is all decked up in Tricolour to celebrate the spirit of the Republic. From being affected by militancy to now hosting full-scale Republic Day celebrations, it has come a long way.,” Sarma said.
Notably, a Chief Minister’s Secretariat has already been established in Dibrugarh, and the CM had announced that he will spend 4 days every month in the office in the eastern Assam town. This decision enables people in 9 districts surrounding Dibrugarh to approach the top administration conveniently.
Security arrangements made a month in advance
Security arrangements were reportedly made a month in advance for the Republic Day celebrations. Talking about the security arrangements, Dibrugarh SP VV Rakesh Reddy informed that inter-district boundaries were secured to prevent any suspicious movement.”The manning of inter-district boundaries to check for suspicious movement, including of riverine routes, began around Christmas. Patrolling of trains is also being done by both the Railways Protection Force (RPF) and the Government Railway Police (GRP)”, Reddy said. He added that the Army and the CRPF assisted the state police which deployed around 400 personnel in the security arrangements.
Dibrugarh among ‘disturbed areas’ under the AFSPA
Dibrugarh has traditionally been a stronghold of the separatist militant organisation ULFA (United Liberation Front for Assam). It is among the four districts of Assam which are notified as ‘disturbed areas’ under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act. A call for a ‘total strike’ was reportedly made by the ULFA from midnight to 6 pm on Republic Day.
According to reports, around 5 months ago ULFA claimed to have planted 24 explosives across Assam to be set off on Independence Day. Several such bombs were discovered without any ignition or triggering mechanism during a search.
