Once again in a move that seems to be becoming a pattern, Assam’s Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and BJP State President Bhabesh Kalita have once again started communal tensions by targeting the state’s Muslim community. This seems to be a part of BJP’s strategy of dividing India along religious and caste lines, something which on ground observers call as a degradation of Indian democracy.
On June 25, 2024, Bhabesh Kalita, the BJP Assam State President, commented on the winning MP from the Congress Party, “Some voted as a communal group in Dhubri so Rakibul Hussain won by more than one million votes.” This statement has come in the wake of the general elections results. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said similarly and suggested that the ‘Muslim vote’ is a concerning development for state politics.
The state BJP president said that one thing is clear from the way Dhubri and Nagaon Muslims voted for Congress in unison, they do not want a friendship with the government and BJP. Muslims still vote communally, from a communal perspective.
Bhabesh Kalita also said that the government’s development work in minority areas will continue.
As per Bhabesh, the state BJP has formed a 28-member committee tasked with analysing the voting behaviours in various assembly constituencies and preparing a roadmap for future strategies.
Sabrang India has earlier pointed out how people voted against BJP’s hate and communalism and in favour of democracy in Assam and the entire North East.
The chief minister had delivered a similar speech with communal charges on June 22, 2024. Sarma claimed that the minority community in Assam has not acknowledged the developmental efforts made by the BJP-led governments at the Centre and in the state, “We analysed 39 per cent votes of the Congress. It is not spread across the state. Fifty per cent of it is concentrated in 21 assembly segments which are minority dominated. In these minority-dominated segments, BJP got 3 per cent votes.”
Meanwhile, the state has witnessed two Muslim brothers being shot dead by a forest guard on June 22. They were allegedly trespassing into the Laokhowa Wildlife Sanctuary in Assam’s Nagaon district. The deceased, identified as Samaruddin and Abdul Jalil were from Dhingbari Chapari village. The authorities have stated that the forest guard fired at them in ‘self-defence.’ The chief minister has ordered a probe in the incident.
Last night, individuals from Sutirpar village trespassed into Lawkhua-Burachapari Reserve Forest. During an encounter with patrolling forest guards, a guard opened fire in self-defense, resulting in the deaths of Samaruddin (35) and Abdul Jalil (40).
I have directed the Chief…— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) June 22, 2024
Meanwhile, according to Siasat News, the Community Network Against Protected Areas (CNAPA), a civil society group, has issued a statement condemning the incident, and have described the shooting a as a “fake encounter.”
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