Guwahati: A controversial video posted on the official X handle of the Assam BJP unit on Saturday has ignited a political firestorm. The footage features Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma symbolically shooting at Muslims at point-blank range, accompanied by captions such as "point blank shoot." The post has been widely condemned for intensifying what critics call a hate campaign against Bengali-origin Muslims led by the Chief Minister himself.
The video blends apparent real footage of the Chief Minister handling rifles with AI-generated imagery depicting Muslims as targets. Flashing text throughout the clip reads "foreigner free Assam," "No mercy," "Why did you not go to Pakistan?" and "There is no forgiveness to Bangladeshis."
The content drew immediate and sharp backlash from opposition leaders and journalists. Trinamool Congress MP Sagarika Ghose termed the post "shameful" and demanded the immediate arrest of the creators. Journalist Rana Ayyub highlighted the contradiction in the ruling party's messaging, stating, " Hate to amplify this but just exposes the depravity from the top. 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." Journalist M Reyaz noted that the ruling party appeared to have "no qualm in openly making and sharing such videos of killing ‘Miya’."
The incident comes amidst ongoing criticism of Chief Minister Sarma regarding rhetoric that rights activists and opposition leaders describe as divisive. Recently, at an event in Digboi, Sarma stated his intention to "make the Miya people suffer" during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. He also urged the public to "trouble" the community, suggesting economic boycotts such as underpaying rickshaw drivers.
In Assam, the term "Miya" is often used pejoratively to refer to Bengali-origin Muslims, a community that remains socio-economically marginalized and frequently stigmatized as "outsiders" or "illegal immigrants."
Legal challenges against the Chief Minister’s rhetoric are mounting. Rights activist Harsh Mander has filed a police complaint accusing Sarma of hate speech that threatens constitutional principles. Simultaneously, the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind has moved the Supreme Court, alleging that the Chief Minister’s statements are openly communal and unconstitutional for a person holding high office.
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi also condemned the Chief Minister's recent comments regarding the community. "In Assam, ‘Miya’ refers to Muslims who were brought there by the British 150–200 years ago to cultivate land and work. They are citizens of India. They speak Bengali. How small are you, the Chief Minister of Assam?" Owaisi asked, referring to Sarma's call for financial non-cooperation with Muslim workers.