Opposition Leaders accused Sarma of “criminal conspiracy” to create unrest in the state, saying there could be a “riot-like situation” in the state unless he is “arrested or restrained”. They have requested that an FIR be registered against him for criminal conspiracy and promoting enmity between different groups of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita
Clarion India
GUWAHATI – A day after Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma made communal remarks saying that he “will take sides” and “will not let Miya Muslims take over all of Assam”, several opposition leaders have filed a police complaint and demanded his arrest accusing him of trying to “promote enmity between different groups on the grounds of religion and race”.
According to Indian Express, Guwahati East DCP Mrinal Deka confirmed that the complaint had been received at the Dispur police station but that an FIR had not yet been registered as of Wednesday evening.
It was submitted by Assam Pradesh Congress Committee President Bhupen Borah and Assam Jatiya Parishad Lurinjyoti Gogoi on behalf of the United Opposition Forum, an umbrella organisation of various outfits opposed to the BJP and its allies. Independent Rajya Sabha MP Ajit Bhuyan, Leader of the Opposition in the Assam Legislative Assembly Debabrata Saikia, and Congress’s Dhubri MP Rakibul Hussain were also among the leaders who went to submit the complaint.
Leaders accused Sarma of “criminal conspiracy” to create unrest in the state, saying there could be a “riot-like situation” in the state unless he is “arrested or restrained”. They have requested that an FIR be registered against him for criminal conspiracy and promoting enmity between different groups of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
This comes amidst the campaigns against Muslims in many parts of Assam, which escalated after the alleged gangrape of a 14-year-old girl in Nagaon district on August 22. Sarma and several of his ministers have termed the incident, in which the accused are Bengali-Muslims, an “attack on the indigenous”. The complaint makes a mention of the incident, as well as the ongoing communal tensions in Sivasagar district.
“You might be aware that the entire Assam is erupting in anger against dastardly act of rape committed on a young lady from Dhing [in Nagaon]. Taking advantage of such heinous act (sic) the accused person is trying to whip up communal frenzy by targeting a particular community, which had led to (an) attack on some people belonging to (the) religious minority in Sivasagar (district) by BJP workers and leaders,” the complaint said.
It further adds: “This has been done as part of a conspiracy to create a riot-like situation in the state and the accused named Himanta Biswa Sarma and other BJP leaders are part of the criminal conspiracy to create such unrest”.
Sarma, according to the complainants, has a “history of making provocative statements targeting a particular community”, referring to the chief minister’s remarks last year that he would “clear” Guwahati’s footpaths of “Miya” vegetable vendors.
“Miya” is a pejorative term used for Bengali-Muslims. The complaint also referred to an incident from last week in which the CM targeted a reporter over his religious identity.
“One year back, he had implored people to evict people belonging to a religious community (he termed them as ‘Miya’) from Guwahati. Continuing his tirade against the religious minority the accused person on 4-8-2024 targeted a journalist named Shah Alom with obvious communal innuendos,” the complaint states.
It also referred to the chief minister’s statement that the Nagaon incident was part of a “bigger intention of grabbing land and threatening the identity of the Assamese people”. “Such continuous rants in public have the potential to create disharmony between different communities… If such a person is not arrested and restrained immediately, he can create a riot-like situation in the state for getting political mileage out of it,” states the complaint.
