Police Detain Businessman And 13 Others After Birthday Celebration On Brahmaputra Bridge

A businessman in Assam was arrested along with 13 others after allegedly organising a birthday celebration for his wife on the Kumar Bhaskar Varma Setu over the Brahmaputra River in Guwahati, an event that sparked public criticism and police action following the circulation of a video on social media.

According to police officials, the incident came to light after footage of the celebration surfaced online on Monday. The video reportedly showed a group of vehicles and people gathered on the bridge with arrangements resembling a private event, prompting authorities to initiate an inquiry into the use of the public infrastructure for the celebration.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Jayanta Sarathi Bora said that based on the investigation, police identified the vehicle involved and traced it to businessman Gautam Baruah. He was subsequently called in for questioning, and later arrested along with 13 others who were present during the event.

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Police also seized four vehicles, including a Defender, a Mercedes, a Scorpio, and a Honda City, in connection with the incident. Authorities registered a case under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, including sections related to obstruction of public way, public nuisance, and acts endangering public safety.

Officials said the police did not accept the claim made by Baruah that the celebration lasted only a few minutes. The DCP stated that public roads and bridges cannot be used for private celebrations and emphasised the importance of civic responsibility and adherence to traffic regulations.

The Kumar Bhaskar Varma Setu, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in February, is a six-lane extradosed bridge constructed at a cost of around ₹3,030 crore. Connecting Guwahati with North Guwahati, it is the first of its kind in the Northeast region and is considered a key infrastructure project over the Brahmaputra River.

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