Karimganj to Shribhumi: Assam witnesses huge protests over renaming

Guwahati: Assam witnessed people taking it to streets protesting the state’s BJP governments move renaming Karimganj district as Shribhumi, stating that the move stems from a larger political agenda, The Observer Post reported.

Local residents of the district, particularly Muslims, accused the government of erasing their cultural and historical identity through the move.

The protesters include students, teachers, community leaders, etc. They marched through the streets carrying placards and raising slogans.

One among them told The Observer Post that Karimganj was not just a name but their history and identity. Changing it disregards their heritage and offends the Muslim community there, the person added.

The protesters include members of Leftist organisations, who argued that the name change was carried out without consulting the local people. A spokesperson for one of the protesting Leftist organisation said that Karimganj is historically significant and linked to generations of local residents and renaming it without consent of the locals was utter disregard towards them.

A source among Muslims told The Observed Post that the name change creates a feeling that Muslims are being erased from their own land. However, the said argument holds water since Himanta Biswar Sarma has been taking a kind of anti-Muslim stand in everything, spewing hate speeches against the minority community and has initiated evacuation drives, under the guise of clearing encroachments, in multiple areas, which primarily targeted Muslim communities.

To counter the protests, the state administration deployed police and there were reports of minor clashes.

Further, it learned that the renaming of the district created practical problems like residents reported confusion over government documents, administrative records, and official paperwork.