United Opposition Forum, lodges FIR against Assam CM for inciting communal violence

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaAugust 28, 2024

The Congress-led 18-party United Opposition Forum (UOF) on Wednesday filed an FIR with the Dispur Police Station against Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma accusing Sarma of inciting communal and racial enmity.

The complaint alleges that Sarma has been involved in promoting discord among different communities in the state.

According to the FIR, the complaint stems from recent unrest following a reported rape case involving a teenage girl from Dhing in Nagaon district on August 22. The FIR claimed that Sarma had exploited this incident to incite communal tension by targeting specific communities, which allegedly led to attacks on religious minorities in Sivasagar by BJP workers and leaders.

It is also alleged that BJP leader Mayur Borgohain, a defeated candidate from Nazira LAC, physically assaulted labourers as part of a broader conspiracy to provoke riots.

“Sarma has a history of provocative statements, targeting a particular community. One year back he had implored people to evict people belonging to religious communities (he termed them as Miya) from Guwahati. Continuing his tirade against the religious community the accused person on August 4 targeted a journalist named Shah Alom with obvious communal innuendos. On certain questions being pit the accused person referring to religion put a counter question to whether he would allow him and others to stay in Assam,” the FIR stated.

The FIR also stated that on August 23, during a press conference, Sarma reportedly made unfounded claims about members of a particular community deliberately engaging in practices to displace other communities.

“The belligerent nature of the accused can be gauged from the fact that in a party meeting held in the recent past, he claimed himself to be a mad dog. If such a person is not arrested and restrained immediately, he can create any riot-like situation in the state for getting political mileage out of it,” the FIR added.

The complainants, Bhupen Kumar Bora, President of the United Opposition Forum, and Lurinjyoti Gogoi, general secretary, asserted that Sarma’s actions and statements are designed to create disharmony and potential riot situations.

They request that the police register a case under sections 61, 196, and 35(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and conduct a thorough investigation into the matter.