Two Muslims were attacked in the Baksa district in the Bodoland Territorial Region ahead of demand for economic blockade against Miya Muslims and diktats against them to leave ethnic Assamese-dominant areas.
The duo was reportedly assaulted when they went to their usual business by a group of five men. One of the accused identified as Babul Islam was hit by a group of five men at around 5 Pm. In the police complaint filed at Bahbari police outpost under Gobardhana police station, Babidul accused the assailants tried to strangulate him
“For being a Muslim, they scolded me with various slurs and tried to strangle me”, said Babidul who was selling ice cream near Manash National Park when the men approached him and checked his Indian identity.
“They also took away my all day’s earnings, around Rs 5000”, Babidul added. He was reportedly saved by local Bodo women when they intervened in the matter and stopped the men from beating the youth.
As reported by the Maktoob, after this at around 8 pm, Abdul Salam, a bamboo trader was beaten when he went to get the bamboo he had bought from Chomua Gaati village.
“I have bought bamboo groves there. But when I went to get the bamboo that evening, they said I deliberately went to get the bamboo late as we Miya commit rape and steal at night,” Abdul said and the Maktoob reported.
According to the details, the assailants allegedly told Abdul whether he did not know the Miya Muslims were asked to leave Upper Assam districts.
Saijuddin Ahmed, the central organising secretary of All BTC Minority Student’s Union (ABMSU)— the minority student group, who was involved in registering a police complaint said and teh Maktoob reported, “Abdul is scared. He is apprehensive that he might be attacked. That is why he did not even want to file the complaint”.
With the assistance of ABMSU, victims of ethnic hate have formally lodged their complaints. In response, the Baksa police have arrested at least three individuals in connection with the case.
“The arrested persons for the two incidents that happened 4-5 km apart are the same. It seems that these attacks are being carried out to further instigate the ethnic and religious tensions in Assam”, said activist Saijuddin.
Police Reaction
Baksa police have booked the three accused for hate-mongering.“He has been vilifying Muslims and connecting everything that goes bad in the state to Miyas. That is why we are seeing the diktats of ousting Muslims from Upper Assam and incidents of attacks even in the BTR region” said Taison Hussain president of ABMSU which is actively working to promote communal harmony in Assam
The All Assam Minority Students’ Union (AAMSU) has accused Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma of intentionally polarizing ethnic communities. The allegation comes in the wake of the Congress’s significant victories in the Dhubri and Kaliabor parliamentary constituencies, where AIUDF leader Badruddin Ajmal and Gaurav Gogoi were defeated.
Following the defeat of Ajmal in Dhubri and the big win by Gaurav Gogoi even after delimitation in Assam, minority and majority communities defeated communal politics. Dr Sarma realised that Congress was getting stronger in upper Assam at the cost of BJP. So, if has to win the 2026 assembly polls, he must continue Hindu-Muslim communal politics. That is the only way for him” Ainuddin Ahmed, advisor of the minority students’ body said.
Ittehad Front’s Assam president Nur Islam said, “For the crime of one individual, the entire community is labelled as criminals. Is it not crucifying all for the fault of one? The law should punish the criminal. But what the chief minister is doing is unleashing the popular prejudices against one particular group resulting in hate crimes.”
