Assam killings pre-planned, says Kolkata’s civil society
Several civil society groups protested against of Assam killings, in which three Bengali Muslims were shot dead by the state police during an eviction drive, before Assam Bhavan
Kolkata: Assam’s Bharatiya Janata Party government, has sown seeds of hatred against Bangla speaking Muslims in the mind of the people and planned the Assam killings, believe members of civil society in West Bengal.
A huge number people belonging to several civil society groups staged a protested in front of Assam Bhavan to register their anger against the brutal killings of three people including Maynal Haque and Shaikh Farid by Assam police, during the eviction drive.
A video that went viral on Thursday, showed the state police firing at a man coming towards them with a stick in hand, on Wednesday during the eviction drive. Not only did policemen fire on his bare chest from point-blank range but also lathi-charged his dead body. The video also showed professional camera man pouncing on the body of the deceased while he breathed his last.
Significantly, the superintendent of police of Darrang district is Sushanta Biswa Sarma, brother of Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
The incident has angered all the right-thinking individuals. But apart from arresting the cameraman Bijoy Bonia, the Assam government did not take any action against Darrang police.
“The killings of Bangla speaking Muslims were pre-planned. Else it would not happen at the district where the chief minister’s brother would be posted. And a government photographer would have not danced on a dying person’s body. But we will not let this go. Such a shameful incident has not happened anywhere in the world in recent history. We demand the resignation of Himanta Biswa Sarma. There will be bigger protests in coming days,” reacted Samirul Islam, of Bangla Sanskriti Mancha.
CPIML’s Sumon Sengupta said, “All these are the outcome of the politics of hatred propagated by the BJP against Muslims. In all BJP ruled states, Muslims are facing atrocities for one or another reason. But, we will continue our fight against it.”
The organizations which participated in the protest were— Bhumiputra Unnayan Morcha of India (BHUMI), Bangla Sanskriti Mancha, AISA, DYFI, RSP, SPDI, SIO among others. There were people from all fields of life, activists, professionals and civilians. Women and children had also come with placards to protest against the ‘barbaric killings’ by Assam police.
Today, a large number of people also hit the street to raise their voice against the horrific incident in national capital Delhi and Jharkhand’s capital Ranchi.
“The video is so horrifying that it crossed all the limits of inhumanity. What happened is state terrorism by Himanta Biswa Sarma. It is ethnic cleansing and mockery of the Indian constitution,” said Manzar Jameel, a social activist.
Murad, a software professional, who is associated with BHUMI said, “I have to come here because Bangla speaking Muslims are always targeted in Assam. Earlier Nellie massacre happened and now this.”
“The people of India, who care about the rights of Afghanistan women, are good and should be appreciated. But they should worry about women in India too, who are becoming widows, because of such killings in BJP ruled states,” said Sucheta Dey, of CPIML.
“In Assam, all parties including BJP and Congress have created this situation against Bangla speaking Muslims. It is not just politics of power, but politics of hate that is being done by society at large in Assam. If you visit Assam, in many places, you will find it is written, throw out Bangla speaking people,” mentioned Shaikh Abid of ISF.
Nousheen Baba Khan, an activist added, “Does Maynal Haque’s murder during the eviction enrage you more because his name was listed in the NRC? Would his killing justified if his name was not listed on the NRC list? Does it enrage you more because he was a Muslim or because he was a Bengali Muslim? You see this from different lenses because these power mongers want you to see things in this manner. They will keep you busy in such incidents to hide their acute failures in the economy and on several other areas.”
