Harsh Mander files police complaint against Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma for hate speech targeting Bengali Muslims
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New Delhi: Prominent human rights activist and former civil servant Harsh Mander has lodged a police complaint against Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma at Hauz Khas Police Station here, accusing him of promoting hatred, harassment, and discrimination against Bengali-speaking Muslims through public statements made on January 27, 2026.
The complaint seeks immediate registration of an FIR under Sections 196, 197, 299, 302, and 353 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, along with a thorough investigation and measures to curb further inflammatory remarks amid Assam's ongoing special voter revision process. Mander contends that Sarma's comments at an official event in Digboi, Tinsukia district, explicitly targeted "Miyas"—a derogatory term for Bengali-origin Muslims—threatening their constitutional rights to vote, livelihood, and dignity while inciting communal disharmony.
During the event, Sarma reportedly declared that he and the BJP were "directly against Miyas," vowing to "harm," "make suffer," "teach a lesson," and "give trouble" to the community to force them out of Assam. He admitted directing party workers to file complaints and objections during the voter list revision, predicting the deletion of "four to five lakh Miya voters" under the upcoming Special Intensive Revision (SIR), distinct from the current Special Revision (SR) exercise. "We are ensuring that they cannot vote in Assam," Sarma told reporters, emphasizing his responsibility to impose hardships on the group.
Mander's filing highlights the gravity of these remarks from a sitting Chief Minister, arguing they carry state authority and could embolden illegal actions by officials and citizens alike. The statements allegedly constitute cognizable offenses like promoting enmity, outraging religious feelings, criminal intimidation, and abusing official position, mandating FIR registration. Social media has erupted in outrage over Sarma's pattern of such rhetoric, which the complaint frames as a direct assault on communal harmony and public order.