After communal tensions in Assam's Dhubri, minister calls it ‘symptom of demographic transformation'
The discovery of suspected cattle remains near the premises of a temple in Western Assam's Dhubri town has led to the flaring of communal tensions and the arrest of 10 people.
District authorities said the situation was brought under control as of Tuesday afternoon. However, a Cabinet minister in Assam's BJP government has called the issue a 'symptom' of 'calculated demographic transformation of entire regions of India'. Dhubri district is located along the state's border with Bangladesh.
According to Dhubri DC Dibakar Nath, the tensions began with the discovery of suspected 'cow meat' near the premises of a Hanuman temple in Dhubri town on Sunday. On Monday, demonstrations were held in the town and they later escalated to stone pelting. Police used tear gas to disperse the crowd and bring the situation under control.
On Monday night, the district administration imposed prohibitory orders throughout Dhubri town, citing 'a likelihood of breach of peace and public tranquillity in the areas falling under the jurisdiction of Dhubri police station due to communal tension, riot risk, violent protests, etc'. The administration had ordered the closure of all shops and markets in the town, disallowed the assembly of more than five people in any public areas, and banned any rallies or demonstrations.
DC Nath told The Indian Express that the situation stabilised as of Tuesday evening and that the prohibitory orders were withdrawn.
'Things have come under control with the prohibitory orders and the sufficient deployment of police and CRPF, and we have been able to revoke the order this afternoon. We have formed peace committees in all critical areas and are engaging with the community through them. Ten people have been arrested in connection with Sunday's incident and the investigation is ongoing,' he said.
The developments have also led to political discourse, with Assam Cabinet minister Ashok Singhal saying in a post on X: 'What is happening in Dhubri today isn't sudden. It's the direct result of decades of ignored patterns, deliberate policies, and the political silence of the Indian National Congress and AIUDF in pursuit of vote-bank politics. The forced demographic imbalance, once ignored as a 'local issue', now stands as savages hell-bent on the annihilation of the Hindu faith and our way of life, posing a serious threat to Assam and the rest of India.'
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