Assam: Minority scholars, intellectuals urge CM to ensure communal harmony

Guwahati: In response to escalating communal tensions in Assam, a group of progressive intellectuals, scholars and community leaders from the religious minority community held a meeting in Guwahati, Assam on Wednesday night (September 18).

The meeting was held to discuss concerns over the Assam government's handling of sensitive issues, accusing Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and other officials of fostering communal division through provocative remarks inside and outside the Assam Legislative Assembly. The meeting called for coordinated efforts between minority and majority communities to maintain peace and harmony across the state.

The intellectuals emphasized that the Chief Minister and other officials, sworn to protect the Constitution, had not only undermined the constitutional order but also encouraged division and conflict.

The gathering stressed the need for immediate steps to prevent any negative consequences and urged minority communities to cooperate with the majority to eradicate social evils thus enhancing communal harmony. There was also a call for a mass awareness campaign to address superstitions and criminal tendencies, particularly in minority areas, to ensure harmony in the state.

The group highlighted recent incidents of communal unrest, including the ‘anti-Miya rhetoric’ in upper Assam districts, which has made Assam increasingly communally sensitive.

They further pointed to the recent controversy involving fish traders in Nagaon, who threatened to stop sending fish to upper Assam, further heightening tensions.

The meeting attributed these developments to provocative statements from both the ruling party and opposition figures, which have aggravated the situation.

The intellectuals called for actions to ensure that peace, harmony, and unity prevail in Assam.

The meeting was attended by prominent advocates Hafiz Rashid Ahmed Chowdhury, Maizuddin Mahmood, Kabel Sikdar, former professor Abdul Mannan, ex-judge Anisur Alam, and former Assam Civil Service officer Syed Rafik Ali, prominant political feagures like Mehdi Alom Bora and Mohsin Khan from Congress party, Ziaur Rahman of Assam Jatiya Parishad and Azizur Rahman of Raijor Dol, writer Dr Rezaul Karim, Abdul Wadud Sheikh, senior journalists Afrida Hussain, Dilwar Mazumdar along with others.

The participants unanimously agreed that while superstition and crime are indeed prevalent in some sections of minority communities due to a lack of proper education, the ruling political party’s agenda of generalizing and vilifying the entire Muslim community is dangerous.

They also accused some opposition figures of contributing to the communal tension, either in collaboration with the ruling party or for political gain, positioning themselves as so-called saviors of the Muslim community.

The intellectuals stressed the importance of resisting the divisive tactics of both sides and instead focusing on maintaining the state's long-standing tradition of peace and harmony.

After nearly four hours of discussion, the group adopted five key resolutions aimed at fostering unity and addressing the rising communal tensions.

The first resolution called for concerted efforts across all castes, religions, and races to preserve Assam’s peace and harmony.

The second resolution condemned divisive rhetoric and warned against actions that could harm social cohesion.

The third resolution involved meeting leaders of ethnic, cultural, and literary organizations, as well as the media and political parties, to inform them of the public’s concerns.

The fourth resolution called for a meeting with the Chief Minister to urge the observance of constitutional duties, i.e. Rajdharma, as well as a memorandum to the Director General of Police for proper and unbiased enforcement of the law, and the Governor to brief him on the situation.

The fifth and final resolution called for awareness campaigns in collaboration with religious institutions such as mosques and madrasas, particularly in areas with high crime rates, to combat superstition and criminal activities.

The meeting also resolved to meet with national political leaders such as BRS leader Chandrababu Naidu and JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar to brief them on the situation in Assam and seek their support in resolving the growing communal tensions.