Miya remarks: Assam civil society seeks FIR against Himanta Biswa

way2barak, Feb 3: The Assam Civil Society (ACS) on Monday lodged a complaint with the Latasil police here seeking registration of an FIR against Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for his “inflammatory, communal and provocative statements” against the Miya community.

Society president and senior Gauhati High Court advocate Hafiz Rashid Ahmed Choudhury told that a delegation of the society lodged the complaint because of the “adverse impact” of the statements not only on the Miya community but also on society as a whole.

“A section of people in some places have already started targeting Miya community members, emboldened by the chief minister’s statements, which will eventually impact law and order situation in the state,” he said.

In its complaint, lodged along with media reports, the ACS stated that the chief minister “made some provocative and hate and communal speeches” on January 24, 25, 26, 27, 28 and 29 before the media and the “same have been widely circulated” in both print and electronic media.

“On going through the said communal and provocative statements of Himanta Biswa Sarma, it is evident that the said statements were made intentionally to promote enmity and hatred against a particular community, more specifically referred to as ‘Miyas’, who are basically East Bengal-origin Muslims of Assam.

“The chief minister, in fact, asked the members of Hindu community to harass the said ‘Miya Muslims’, which is intended to promote enmity and hatred on grounds of religion between Hindu and Muslim,” the complaint claimed.

On Thursday, Sarma invoked the Supreme Court’s observations to justify his statements against the Miya community. “Those who are attacking me for my remarks on ‘Miyan’— a word used in Assam in the context of Bangladeshi Muslim illegal migration — should pause and read what the Supreme Court of India itself has said about Assam. This is not my language, not my imagination, and not political exaggeration,” he had said.