GUWAHATI — The Assam MLA of he All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) from central Assam’s Dhing constituency Aminul Islam was arrested on Thursday, a day after he hinted a possible conspiracy by the BJP leadership behind the April 22 Pahalgam attack on tourists and the 2019 Pulwama incident.
According to media reports, Mr Aminul Islam speaking at a political rally on April 23, said he suspected a connection between the Pulwama attack and the Pahalgam incident. “The day 42 Indian soldiers were killed in the Pulwama attack, I said it was a conspiracy. The government conspired to polarise voters and win the 2019 Lok Sabha election. I demanded a probe, but till today, we don’t know how a vehicle carrying 300 kg of RDX could enter a CRPF convoy in a high-security area,” he said. “Because the incident was not probed, the people of the country still do not know who carried out the attack,” Mr Islam said.
“Now, after the Pahalgam attack, the BJP is saying the terrorists fired at the Hindus and spared the Muslims. However, the survivors said nobody’s name was asked. They fired from darkness, secretly. I suspect the Pahalgam attack was carried out by those who had perpetrated the Pulwama attack,” the MLA said.
Mr Islam went on to say, “if the government does not conduct an impartial probe into this incident and resort to Hindu-Muslim divisive politics, we will suspect this happened due to a conspiracy hatched by (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi and (Home Minister) Amit Shah.”
Following his speech hinting at the involvement of the BJP top brass, Assam Police arrested Mr. Islam for making “misleading and instigating” statements with the potential to disrupt public order.
The Assam MLA was booked under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including Section 152 (actions endangering India’s sovereignty), Section 196 (promoting enmity between groups), and Section 113(3) (abetting or conspiring terrorist acts).
Reacting to the controversy, AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal reportedly distanced the party from Islam’s comments, calling them personal views. “What he said was unfortunate and does not reflect our party’s stance. We stand with our State government, as terrorists are terrorists without any caste or religion,” he said.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma condemned Islam’s remarks, stating, “Anyone justifying or diluting a Pakistan-sponsored terror attack stands against the soul of India.” He further announced ₹5 lakh financial aid for the families of those who died in the Pahalgam attack.
