New Delhi: AIMIM chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi today filed a formal police complaint against Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, demanding legal actions a now-deleted social media video that showed Sarma symbolically shooting at Muslims.
The controversy began when the official X handle of the Assam BJP posted a 16-second video on Saturday. The clip combined footage of Sarma handling rifles with AI-generated images of him aiming and firing at point-blank range at two men wearing skullcaps and beards, presented as targets. It included aggressive slogans such as “Foreigner free Assam”, “No mercy”, “Why did you not go to Pakistan?” and “There is no forgiveness to Bangladeshis”. The video was widely criticised for targeting Bengali-origin Muslims in Assam and promoting hate. It was deleted following backlash on social media.
Owaisi lodged the complaint with the Hyderabad City Police Commissioner. In a post on X sharing the complaint copy, he wrote: “I have lodged an official complaint with Hyderabad police demanding criminal action against Himanta Sarma for his (now deleted) violent video showing him shooting Muslims. Unfortunately, genocidal hate speech has become a norm.”
In the complaint, Owaisi alleged that Sarma has made repeated statements against the Muslim community through social media, print media, public speeches, and other platforms for several years. Citing the Supreme Court’s ruling in Shaheen Abdulla v. Union of India & Ors, Owaisi demanded immediate suo motu legal action and registration of a case against Sarma for these actions and hate speech that outrages religious feelings, promotes communal enmity, and threatens national integration.
Reacting to the complaint, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma remained defiant. He said: “I am ready to go to jail, what can I do? I do not know anything about any video. If he has filed a case against me, arrest me; what objection do I have? I have no objection. But I stand by my words, I am against Bangladeshi infiltrators and I will continue to be against them.”
Strong Condemnation from Opposition
The Congress strongly condemned the video, calling it “deeply abhorrent and disturbing”, describing it as a call to mass violence and genocide. In a statement on X, the party said: “The BJP’s official Assam Pradesh handle posted a video that appears to glorify the targeted murder of minorities.
It is a reflection of the true face of this fascist regime, which has harboured this hatred for decades and, in the last 11 years, tried to normalise it. Considering the gravity of the matter, there must be strict action against this act of spreading disharmony and poison in society.
The communal post by the Assam BJP came at the same time as Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-day visit to Malaysia, a Muslim-majority nation.where Islam is the official religion. Observers said the post was removed as an afterthought so as not to cause embarrassment to Modi on foreign soil. Reacting to the 16-second video clip, Trinamool MP Mahua Moitra drew attention to the Malaysia angle in a post on X.
Tagging Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, she wrote: “ Islam is Malaysia’s official religion with 65% Muslims. Please watch a video of BJP Chief Minister in India shooting Muslims point blank for fun. Please ask PM Modi to explain this before you engage with him next
Trinamool Congress MP Sagarika Ghose wrote that this was a clear offence under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
“The BJP4India Assam has committed a UAPA offence and is guilty of clear incitement to violence. Can’t get away with deleting the ad. It also attracts 152, 156 and 192 BNS. Exemplary punishment must be given in this case,” she wrote on X.
Congress leader K C Venugopal on Monday alleged that an official BJP handle had shared a video depicting the targeted “point-blank” killing of minorities, terming it a call for genocide. He said the clip could not be dismissed as troll content and accused the ruling party of spreading “poison from the top”.
The Assam unit of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) alleged that a BJP video showed an elected Chief Minister miming the shooting of Muslims at point-blank range, calling the clip obscene and saying it was removed only after public backlash.
In a post on X, the party accused Himanta Biswa Sarma and the BJP Assam Unit of normalising hatred and dehumanising Muslims, and claimed that earlier remarks encouraging harassment of minorities had now escalated into open provocation.
Reactions from Muslim Civil Society
Muslim civil society leaders, activists, and intellectuals expressed deep outrage and concern over the now-deleted Assam BJP video depicting Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma symbolically shooting at Muslims. They described it as a dangerous escalation of hate speech, highlighting double standards in law enforcement and calling for accountability to protect constitutional values.
Vocal journalist and author Rana Ayyub, known for her book Gujarat Files, shared the video to expose what she called the “depravity from the top.” She pointed out the stark contrast that “BJP twitter handle shares a meme of Himanta Biswa firing a bullet at Muslims while Prime Minister Modi talks about a grand reception in muslim majority, Malaysia.”
Advocate Mohammad drew attention to perceived bias in the justice system. He noted that the prominent muslim young schoolar Umar Khalid remain in jail for over five years for promoting non-violence and Gandhian values, while Sharjeel Imam faces charges for a speech and peaceful protest. In contrast, Himanta Biswa Sarma, as Chief Minister, faces no jail time despite this “fascist call for violence” against Muslims and his repeated communal hate speech-simply because he belongs to the BJP.
Maulana Arshad Madani, a prominent leader of Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, issued a firm warning directly to Sarma: “You may try to trouble Muslims, but remember we are alive, and Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind is alive. We will stand firm and see what he does.” His statement underscored the community’s resolve to resist such actions.
Congress Rajya Sabha MP Syed Naseer Hussain condemned the video strongly, describing it as intensifying a hate campaign against Bengali-origin Muslims led by Sarma himself. He raised grave concerns about India’s constitutional ethos, which assures equal citizenship, dignity, and security for all. Such imagery from an official platform, he said, erodes fraternity, weakens trust in institutions, and normalises exclusion-contrary to constitutional values. He highlighted a pattern of rhetoric targeting the “Miya” community and “love jihad” narratives, creating anxiety and deepening social divides. Hussain unequivocally condemned the content, urged an unambiguous public apology from Sarma and the Assam BJP, and called on the Modi government to uphold “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas” in practice, ensuring inclusion, equality, and justice for all.
Congress Rajya Sabha MP and Poet Imran Pratapgarhi highlighted the hypocrisy: “Over there, the Prime Minister was embracing Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, and here, his favorite, the Chief Minister of Assam, was getting a video inciting the massacre of Muslims posted on the official handle of Assam BJP, what could be more shameful than this?”
These reactions reflect widespread alarm in Muslim civil society over rising communal rhetoric, demands for legal action, and a reaffirmation of India’s pluralistic principles.
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