CM to vigilantes: Protest encroachments lawfully
Himanta Biswa Sarma
on Wednesday urged citizens to continue protesting against encroachers but by staying within the bounds of law and avoiding taking law into their own hands.
Responding to recent calls by student and regional youth organisations asking Bangladesh-origin Muslims to leave districts such as Sivasagar, Lakhimpur, Tinsukia, and Jorhat, Sarma said, "Nobody should take the law into their hands but protest and agitate against these issues."
He emphasized that the government supports peaceful protests against illegal encroachments, warning that "the situation will turn worse if anyone attempts to harm the Assamese community."
Referring to incidents during the recent eviction drive in Uriamghat (Golaghat district), Sarma said, "What was witnessed in the recent eviction drive at Uriamghat was shocking, and I am going to show some more videos in a few days, which is even more alarming."
He alleged that encroachers had "illegally occupied thousands of bighas of land and converted it into fisheries." Highlighting the cultural significance of affected districts, Sarma said, "Lakhimpur, Jorhat and Sivasagar are historically significant places of the state, and if we do not raise our voice against such encroachments, then who will?"
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
27 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Assam CM accuses Mamata of creating NRC fear for political gain
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday (August 7, 2025) criticised his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee for 'trying to scare the Bengali people by dangling the sword of the National Register of Citizens (NRC)' ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections. Assembly elections in Assam and West Bengal are due early next year. Mr. Sarma said Ms. Banerjee's concerns over the NRC were unfounded. 'She suddenly says she is not going to obey the NRC. Who has asked her to obey the NRC? Where is the NRC? Nobody has ordered the NRC,' he told journalists in Guwahati on Thursday (August 7, 2025) night. 'She is instilling fear in the minds of Bengali people to get their votes. In the last five years, she has not discussed the NRC. Now, she is talking about all these things as the elections are approaching,' he said. Ms. Banerjee has been flagging some 'NRC' notices issued to residents of West Bengal, mostly Bengali Hindus, by Foreigners' Tribunals (FTs) in Assam. One such case was that of Uttam Kumar Brajabasi, a resident of Dinhata in Cooch Behar for 50 years. Mr. Sarma claimed Mr. Brajabasi was a citizen of Assam who had temporarily gone to West Bengal, and that the notice issued to him was part of a judicial process. Refuting reports, the Chief Minister also said the Assam government had not taken any 'special decision' to drop the cases of non-Muslim illegal migrants, who entered India from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan before 2015, from the FTs. 'The State Cabinet did decide to drop the cases of Koch-Rajbanshi and Gurkha people from the FTs, but there has been no such special decision for the others. The State government has nothing to do additionally for people provided security and protection under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act,' Mr. Sarma said. 'The case [related to the CAA] is in the Supreme Court. Unless the Supreme Court strikes it down, that is the law of the land,' he added. According to official records, as of July 15, eight people in Assam had applied for Indian citizenship under the CAA, and only two had appeared for an interview. The 1951 NRC in Assam was updated under the watch of the Supreme Court. More than 19.06 lakh of the 3.3 crore applicants were left out of the complete draft published in August 2019.
Hindustan Times
27 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Loudspeaker ban may lead to law and order problems: Petition in HC
MUMBAI: The public interest litigation (PIL) seeking permission for 24 mosques in the city to use loudspeakers during azaan – the state government told the Bombay high court on Thursday that it was not maintainable – contends that the forceful removal of loudspeakers constitutes a 'human rights violation' and may lead to law and order problems in future. Picture for representation (ANI) Endorsed by 22,900 signatories including senior citizens, women and youth, it makes several points about why the issue is of 'grave public concern'. The petition, of which Hindustan Times has a copy, was filed on July 4, 2025 by the Hazrat Khwaja Garib Nawaz Welfare Association through its general secretary Mohammed Yusuf Umar Ansari. It seeks to protect and preserve the security of mosques, dargahs, temples, churches and gurudwaras with respect to use of loudspeakers. Threat to peace The petition alleges that the principal secretary of the state home department, acting under instructions from political leaders, have removed loudspeakers from the 24 mosques spread across Malad, Worli, Lower Parel, Wadala, Govandi and Mankhurd. Cases have also been filed against trustees, maulanas (clerics) and muezzins of the 24 mosques, it notes. 'Some leaders from the right-wing are making inflammatory statements against Islam and Muslims and some anti-social elements have started disturbing the peace in the state,' it says. 'There is an apprehension that fringe antisocial elements may create anarchy…which might lead to stopping government authorities from performing their duties.' Noise level, azaan duration The azaan, a call for congregation at the mosque to offer Namaz, is 'a matter of religion and faith going on for years together,' the PIL says. Its transmission via loudspeakers does not cross the permissible noise levels, it notes. For reference, it cites World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines, which categorise sounds above 65 decibel (dB) as noise pollution. It also cites the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000 issued by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, which categorise areas into industrial, commercial, residential, and silence zones, with permissible noise levels ranging 40-75 dB. The azaan lasts for only for about three minutes and its transmission, unaccompanied by any instruments or other sound, is hardly enough to qualify as noise pollution and cause health hazards, the PIL states. It references a 2023 Gujarat high court order in Dharmendra Vishnubhai Prajapati Vs State of Gujarat, wherein the court had observed, 'It is pertinent to note that use of loudspeakers in mosques for azaan, though five times a day, is only for 10 minutes or less at a stretch. We fail to understand as to how the human voice making azaan through loudspeakers in the morning, evening or any other hour of day…could meet the high decibel level.' Prayer for intervention The PIL says though several complaints and applications were filed with the state police and the principal secretary of the home department between June 2024 to June 2025 regarding allowing loudspeakers within permissible sound levels at the 24 mosques and harassment of their officials, there was no relief. The PIL requests the court to intervene in the matter to permit the use of loudspeakers within noise limits, direct authorities not to harass the mosque officials, and take action against political leaders over hate speeches and inflammatory comments. 'Preserve the sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic republic nation and maintain fraternity now, as the destruction threat of few organisations and few political leaders may target the mosques and dargahs in near future,' the PIL said.
India Today
38 minutes ago
- India Today
Indian-origin man in Ireland for 20 years hit, robbed amid surge in racial attacks
A 51-year-old Indian-origin man was brutally assaulted and robbed by three men at Charlemont Place in south Dublin, Ireland. The incident comes amid a spate of recent attacks on members of the Indian community, including the assault of a six-year-old girl earlier this week. However, unlike some previous cases where victims were subjected to racist abuse, this attack appears to have been motivated by robbery, with no indication of racial intent so Das, a hotel chef in Dublin, was cycling to work in the early hours of Wednesday when he was assaulted by a gang of three men, Dublin-based news portal Dublin Live 51, has been living in Ireland for 22 years, and is an Irish citizen, told Dublin Live that his phone, cash, and electric bike were stolen during the assault, according to the report. He was taken to St Vincent's Hospital, on the outskirts of Dublin city, following the assault and was discharged at approximately 9 PM on Wednesday sustained injuries to his legs, eye socket, shoulder, and arm during the assault.A STRING OF ATTACKS ON INDIANS HAS BEEN REPORTED IN IRELAND RECENTLYLast Monday, a six-year-old Indian-origin girl in Waterford city was assaulted by a group of boys who punched her and hit her private parts with a bicycle, and also hurled racist attack took place when she was playing outside her home along with her friends. According to her mother, the gang included a girl aged around eight and several boys between 12 and another racist attack, a cab driver was assaulted by two men in Dublin's Ballymun suburb. Lakhvir Singh was reportedly hit on the head with a glass bottle in an unprovoked attack, after which the attackers shouted "go back to your own country".Last month, a 40-year-old Indian man was beaten and stripped by a teenage gang in Tallaght, while a 32-year-old Indian-origin entrepreneur, Santosh Yadav, was brutally attacked by teenagers in a separate incident in the was attacked by a gang of six teenagers near his Dublin apartment, leaving him with a fractured cheekbone and multiple in a social media post, also claimed that racist attacks on Indians are increasing across view of the rise in attacks on Indians in the country, the Indian Embassy in Dublin on August 1 issued a safety advisory urging its citizens to avoid deserted areas and remain vigilant.- EndsMust Watch
