Leader of Opposition in the Assam Assembly, Debabrata Saikia has written to the Assam Human Rights Commission, seeking urgent intervention into the “continuing and systemic human rights violations affecting the residents of Guwahati,” after heavy overnight rain threw life out of gear in the city. Amid rain-triggered flash floods in Guwahati, a woman, identified as Payal Nath, died after falling into an open inundated drain at Maligaon Chariali near the Northeast Frontier Railway headquarters on Sunday night. In a letter to AHRC chairperson Justice Arup Kumar Goswami, Saikia, seeking Suo motu action over flooding and a woman’s death, described the situation as a “continuing and systemic human rights violation” affecting residents’ right to life, livelihood, dignity and education.
“I respectfully submit this representation seeking the urgent intervention of this commission regarding the continuing and systemic human rights violations affecting the residents of Guwahati,” Saikia wrote, adding that the situation reflects a “multi-layered failure of governance”. He argued that the recurring flooding is not a natural inevitability but a preventable hazard, pointing to incidents such as people being swept into open drains, deaths linked to uncovered infrastructure, electrocution in waterlogged areas and widespread storm damage. The Opposition leader also raised concerns over the impact on daily life, stating that repeated school closures have disrupted education, while “daily wage earners are losing vital income” and businesses are suffering economic losses.
Referring to the Silsako eviction drive, Saikia said floods persist even as around 1,200 houses were demolished in the name of flood mitigation. He further alleged irregularities in public spending; claiming RTI findings show drainage equipment, and “super sucker” machines were procured at higher-than-market rates. Saikia urged the commission to call for compliance reports on Gauhati High Court orders issued between 2022 and 2024, conduct a comprehensive inquiry into drainage failures and fix accountability of officials. He also sought an independent audit of flood-related expenditure and recommended criminal or vigilance action where necessary. Calling the situation a “profound failure of governance”, Saikia sought urgent intervention, compensation for victims and time-bound corrective measures to prevent further loss of life and disruption.