Assam: Priyada Gogoi, 84, Is Poll Campaigning For Her Jailed Anti-CAA Activist Son Akhil

Amid the toughening political battle between the NDA and UPA for the Assam turf, an elderly woman has been relentlessly campaigning for her jailed son's election candidature. Priyada Gogoi, over the last week, has taken it upon herself to become the voice for Akhil Gogoi, the anti-Citizenship Amendment Bill activist arrested in 2019, as he contests for the assembly election from Sivasagar on a ticket from Raijor Dal, the party he founded.

She is 84 and ailing with old age, including a heart condition and eyesight troubles. But Priyada Gogoi is pushing forward in hopes for her son's win and release from jail. As regards the latter, she has been at the forefront of the #FreeAkhilGogoi campaign for over a year now. The Assam election, she feels, will be the "first step" in warranting his release.

"I am campaigning only for my son. I want to see my son free. I know that only the people can free my son from jail. Winning this election will be the first step for him to come out of the caged life," news agency PTI quoted her saying.

About Priyada Gogoi And The Fight For Her Son's Release

To her son's party associates, Priyada Gogoi is only known fondly as 'maa' (mother). Seated in jeeps with folded hands, the 84-year-old has been leading rallies for the Raijor Dal, appealing to the people of Assam to vote for her son's release. She has been joined in her campaign by activists Medha Patkar and Sandeep Pandey, longtime supporters of her son.

Akhil Gogoi, prominent peasant rights and anti-corruption activist, was jailed in December 2019 for allegedly inciting violence and mobilising anti-citizenship amendment protests in the state. Priyada protested against her son's arrest, even going on hunger strike.

"I don't know what crime my son has committed. If he has committed such a big crime, I request the government to shoot him and finish this," she said.

Gogoi, whose bail was denied in February this year, has recently alleged custodial torture and intimidation tactics by authorities: "I was told that if I joined RSS, I would get bail immediately... They said I could contest from a vacant assembly seat and become a minister in the BJP government in Assam. Because of my refusals... it seems all chances of getting out are lost. My family is almost finished, and I am physically destroyed."