During an interaction with journalists, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma sarcastically asked a scribe belonging to the minority community if “his people” would let them live in Assam.
The conversation occurred on August 21 after a meeting on the Rajya Sabha nomination process held at the Assam legislative assembly.
Journalist Shah Alam, who works in a local news portal News Now, raised a question on the incessant cutting down of hills being reported from Sarma’s Jalukbari assembly constituency.
Sarma, known for his Islamophobic remarks, answered Alam’s question stating there is no connection between the reports on the cutting down of hills and floods caused by a Meghalaya-based University of Science and Technology (USTM).
On August 13, Sarma accused the university of the reason behind the flash flood in Guwahati. He termed the incident as “flood jihad”.
When Alam continued to press his question again, Sarma enquired about his name. The moment Alam revealed his name, Sarma said, “Oh! You people, like Shah Alam and USTM proprietor Mahbubul Hoque have all combined the issues that have become a big question for our Assamese community whether we can survive.”
“Shah Alam and the rest should be asked whether we can live, strive and continue our existence. You people have combined all the issues together and this itself poses an important question whether people like me and others will be able to live in Assam. The issue is not about green cover, but the bigger issue is the demography change, and there should be a discussion about whether people like Shah Alam and Mahbubul Hoque will permit us to live here,” Sarma continued.
Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma rebuked a reporter over his religious identity after the reporter asked a question on hill cuttings in his constituency Jalukbari.
Sarma asked him whether they (Muslims) will allow them (Hindus) to live in Assam, citing “demographic change”. pic.twitter.com/Q0F4VXH1Pz
— Rokibuz Zaman (@ROKIBUZZAMAN2) August 22, 2024
Shocked, says journalist
The incident has left Alam shocked and surprised. “There were other news reports done by other news outlets or portals. It was a jolt out of the blue. I never imagined that he would publicly deride me over my religious identity,” Alam told The Wire.
Alam pointed out that performing a journalist’s duty has become a huge bone of contention for governments and politicians.
“They only want news that they want to hear and find it uncomfortable to answer difficult questions. I have never seen such incidents where a journalist was brought under a scanner of religious identity by a sitting chief minister of a state,” he said.
Deep concern: Gauhati Press Club
Reacting to the incident, the Gauhati Press Club has expressed deep concern.
In a released statement, the press club stated, “In the latest case, the honourable chief minister pulled the religious identity of a journalist into context without any apparent relevance during a press interaction on August 21. The Gauhati Press Club expresses deep concern at such an incident. We urge all political leaders to ensure no recurrence of such instances in the future and show dignity to their position as well as the role of the media.”
The Press Club of India also lent its support to Alam. “The Press Club of India extends support to the statement issued by the Gauhati Press Club over Assam Chief Minister’s remark, targeting a journalist’s religious identity,” it said in a statement.
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