Assam: Guwahati Police arrest man for placing pork at mosque

Guwahati: Guwahati Police arrested a man on Tuesday night for placing raw pork into the premises of a mosque in Assam's Panjabari area, in what investigators say was a disturbing act of personal revenge disguised as communal provocation.

Authorities identified the accused as Mridupaban Pathak, son of Bulanta Pathak, a resident of Barpeta in Assam.

Officers apprehended him from his hometown after tracing him through the mobile number attached to a note found with the pork. During interrogation, Pathak allegedly confessed to carrying out the act.

The incident occurred at a mosque on Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed Path in Puran Basti, under the jurisdiction of Dispur Police Station. Worshippers discovered a transparent plastic packet within the mosque compound containing raw pork and a handwritten note, mixing Assamese and English. The note read: “You got me pregnant. Now you eat pork. From Plabita Das,” with the word "PORK" written prominently on the packet, alongside a mobile number.

Police immediately arrived at the scene and launched an investigation. Officers also collected the contents for forensic analysis and began verifying the handwriting and mobile number mentioned in the note.

Sources within the police department revealed that the motive behind the act was not religious, but deeply personal.

Pathak had reportedly harassed a woman named Plabita Das, who had consistently rejected his romantic overtures. After she blocked his contact, he further retaliated by falsely implicating her in a provocative message and attempted to spark outrage by planting the note inside the mosque.

The arrest follows recent warnings from Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who had urged the public to avoid actions that could inflame religious sentiments.

Referring to recent incidents around Bakrid, the Chief Minister had cautioned that retaliatory acts, such as placing pork near mosques or beef near temples, could disrupt communal harmony.

Sarma also mentioned that police had arrested over 60 individuals statewide during Bakrid for allegedly trying to incite unrest by dumping beef or cattle parts near Hindu places of worship.