In a provocative address in the Assam Assembly on Tuesday, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma made a controversial statement targeting the Muslim community, which has ignited political and social tensions in the state. Sarma declared, “I will take sides, what can you do? Won’t let ‘Miya’ Muslims take over Assam,” while criticizing the Opposition. This statement comes in the wake of a highly publicized gang rape incident involving a 14-year-old girl in central Assam’s Nagaon.
The victim, identified as Hindu, was assaulted on August 22, with one of the accused being a Muslim. Following the incident, Sarma has urged the Assamese Hindu community to recognize who their “real enemy” is, further inflaming the situation.
The opposition parties have been vocal in their criticism, staging protests in Guwahati, including within the assembly complex. Congress MLAs, led by Leader of the Opposition Debabrata Saikia, marched from inside the assembly to the statue of Mahatma Gandhi, demanding increased safety for women and condemning the Chief Minister’s communal rhetoric. “The Dhing incident is not the only one. Many such cases have occurred in different parts of the state,” Saikia told reporters.
Saikia also accused Sarma, who holds the Home portfolio, of being indifferent to the rise in crimes against women. “The CM is not at all serious and concerned about the situation. We discussed crimes against women with NCRB data and asked the government to take action,” Saikia added. He alleged that the Home Department has instructed the Assam Police not to register some cases of such crimes.
The protests have extended to Dhing, where local women’s groups are demanding the arrest of the two remaining accused in the gang rape case. The prime accused, who was arrested on Friday, reportedly escaped custody, jumped into a pond, and died on Saturday morning. The other two accused remain at large, with ongoing raids to apprehend them.
