Assam Culture Minister Bimal Borah. Photo: X/@BimalBorah119
Assam is likely to have a detention room for MLAs who are suspended for disrupting assembly proceedings.
Speaker Biswajit Daimary on Friday (Nov 28, 2025) said the House would examine Culture Minister Bimal Borah’s proposal for a jail cell to temporarily hold unruly MLAs.
Mr Borah sought a disciplinary detention facility in the House complex to prevent “repeated disturbances” by some MLAs. The motion followed the disruption caused by Raijor Dal MLA Akhil Gogoi, who was expelled from the House during question hour.
“Some MLAs try to disrupt the House when it is in session. After they are interrupted, they go out and give misleading statements to the media. There should be a rule to put such MLAs in a detention room where they are forced to stay and offer tea,” the minister said.
“Such a room can be set up after the assembly secretariat formulates the necessary rules and procedures,” the spokesperson said.
Mr. Gogoi slammed Mr. Borah for mooting the idea. “This is expected from a person who has no idea about the Constitution of India. Making him understand democracy, transparency and freedom of expression is a tall order,” he said.
Congress leader Debabrata Saikia criticized the proposal as undemocratic. Members of the All India United Democratic Front said the government was trying to do to elected representatives what it was doing to sections of people considered “illegal immigrants”.
Assam had six detention centers in as many central jails for people declared non-citizens by alien tribunals. The first of these six was set up in 2008, three years after a 1983 law allegedly supporting foreign illegal migrants (as determined by the tribunal) was repealed.
The detention center is Dibrugh, Gualpara, Jorhat, Kokrajport, Silchar us.
In 2018, the center approved funding to build the Matia Detention Center, which could house 3,000 inmates. The Government of Assam issued a notification in August 2021 to rename the center as a transit camp.
Published – 28 Nov 2025 22:12 IST
