Assam Police on Saturday (August 31) detained a singer named Altap Hussain. Altap Hussain, a resident of Dhubri district, was inciting hatred among local communities through his songs. The lyrics of his song are similar to the Bangladeshi protest song ‘Desh Ta Tomar Bapar Naki’ by Athun Babu and Mousumi. His song is being widely viewed on social media.
This incident took place amid growing tension between local communities after the recent rape of a minor girl by three Muslim youths in Nagaon district. OC J Baishya of Gauripur police station said, “A case was registered against him under section 196/299 of BNS in Gauripur police station. Today we have detained Altap.”
According to a report by Times of India, singer Altaap has been charged under Section 196/299 of the Indian Penal Code 2023 (BNS) for ‘promoting enmity between different groups on the basis of religion and caste’ and ‘doing malicious acts with intent to outrage religious feelings of any class, religion or religious beliefs by insulting them’. This song of Altaap Hussain has reached millions of people through social media platforms. In this song, the targeting of ‘Miyan’ (Muslims who have migrated from Bangladesh and settled in Assam) has been challenged. The Hindi lyrics of these songs are – ‘Is Assam your father’s land that you always want to drive Miyan away?’ and ‘Everyone commits crime but you only find fault with Miyan.’
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said he will not let ‘Miyan’ take over the state despite allegations of bias. Speaking in the Assembly, Sarma discussed the crime rate and the recent gang rape of a 14-year-old girl in Nagaon. He emphasised on a ‘zero-tolerance’ policy on crimes against women and promised strict action against the culprits.
A minor girl studying in class 8 was gang-raped on 22nd August 2024 in Dhing, Assam. 3 people from the Muslim community were accused of this gang rape. After this incident, protests started across the state and people opened a front against ‘Miyan’. Many organizations involved in the protest had given an ultimatum to Miyans to vacate Upper Assam.
The protesters had called Miyan a problem for the society and gave them a 7-day ultimatum to leave the area. An organization named Tai Ahom Yuva Parishad said, “The entire incident has been done by Miyan Muslims. Miyan has now become a problem for Assam. There are many Miyan in Lower Assam as well. They are involved in crimes like rape, robbery, drug trafficking. People are very upset with them.”
At the same time, the organizations announcing the expulsion of Miyan have been challenged by Congress MLA from Assam Abdur Rashid Mandal. He said that the protesters will not be able to remove Miyan from Upper Assam. Condemning the Dhing incident, Abdur Rashid further said that everyone cannot be blamed for the mistake of some people. He said that Miyan is contributing in various fields of Assam.
