Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has said the Muslims, as the ‘majority’ community in the State, have the responsibility of ensuring that the Assamese do not end up like Kashmiri Pandits.
Responding to a debate in the 126-member Assembly on Tuesday, he alluded to the recently-released Hindi film, The Kashmir Files to drive home his point.
“I am asked if the Assamese people will face the same fate as Kashmiri Pandits in 10 years, whether Assam will be like what has been shown in The Kashmir Files. It is the duty of the Muslims to behave like a majority and assure us that there will be no repeat of Kashmir here,” Mr. Sarma said.
He tried to justify the ‘majority’ tag for Muslims.
“Today, Muslims are leaders in opposition, have equal opportunity and wield power. So, it is their duty to ensure that the lands of the tribal people are not encroached upon,” he said.
Stating that with power comes responsibility, the Chief Minister said Muslims are 35% of Assam’s population, more than any other community.
“What responsibility do we have? We are a minority, and minorities fear losing land, everything. We are living in fear. It is your duty to allay our fear,” Mr. Sarma said, advising Muslims to stop thinking of themselves as outsiders and focus on integration and communal harmony.
The fear, he said, was such that even the Assamese-speaking indigenous Muslims were concerned about losing their identity. The Assamese Muslims are about 4% of the State’s total Muslim population, the majority of whom speak Bengali.
Drive against criminals
Mr. Sarma also advised some MLAs not to find a religious angle in police crackdown on criminals. “The police are taking action against Hindus and tribals apart from Muslims for their involvement in crime, not targeting any particular community,” he told the Assembly.
“When the police shoot a drug seller from the minority community and say they shoot when they try to escape, we have to trust them. But the police should act within the limits of the law,” he said, referring to a shooting case in which action was taken against the police for going wrong.
“Crime in the State has decreased by 30% from last year. This shows the police crackdown is working,” the Chief Minister said.
On Tuesday, two alleged rapists were killed in police encounters in Guwahati and Udalguri. Both were reportedly trying to flee from custody.
At least 35 people facing criminal charges of rape, murder, kidnapping or smuggling have died in encounters since May 2021. More than 60 people have been shot in the leg while allegedly trying to escape.
