GUWAHATI: Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma has linked crimes against women in the state to a broader strategy aimed at displacing families to seize their land. His remarks followed the Aug 22 gang rape of a class 10 student by three men in Nagaon district, which has sparked outrage and massive public protests, particularly targeting Bangladeshi immigrants seen by many as “encroachers”.
“In Assam, crime against women is also a part of a large encroachment strategy. They scare families and then grab their land. The holy town of Dhing and the site of a recent crime against a Hindu minor, once had 90% Hindu population. Today, it has 90% Muslim population,” Sarma wrote Saturday night on X.
He linked the crime to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, saying: “This, you can interpret with some kind of resurgence of a particular political party among particular voters. The trend is clear, pattern is clear and from where they are getting encouragement is clear.” He didn’t name the party. Sarma had earlier commented that “a particular community is becoming very active after the Lok Sabha elections”.
The crime occurred in an area predominantly inhabited by the immigrant Muslim community and reignited public anger against illegal settlers from Bangladesh.
Markets and shops in Dhing reopened Sunday after two days of public protests demanding the arrest of two remaining suspects. The arrested primary accused drowned in a pond while attempting to escape police custody Saturday morning.
Opposition members criticised Assam govt over the “drowning in custody”.
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