Assam BJP Deletes Controversial Video Showing CM Aiming Gun at Muslims; Calls Grow for Supreme Court Action
AI-generated clip sparks outrage, Opposition leaders and activists term it hate-filled and incitement to violence
The Assam unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has deleted a controversial video it had posted on its official X (formerly Twitter) handle, following widespread criticism on social media. The video showed Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma symbolically firing a gun at images of two Muslim men.
The clip, which was uploaded on Saturday, combined real footage of the Chief Minister holding a rifle with AI-generated images of Muslim men as targets. The video also displayed provocative slogans such as “Foreigners-free Assam,” “No mercy,” “Why didn’t you go to Pakistan?” and “No forgiveness for Bangladeshis.” After severe backlash, the BJP removed the post.
The video drew strong reactions from Opposition leaders, activists, journalists, and legal experts. Trinamool Congress MP Sagarika Ghose described the clip as “shameful” and demanded the immediate arrest of those responsible. In a subsequent post, she alleged that the Assam BJP had committed an offence under laws meant to prevent unlawful activities, calling the video a “direct incitement to violence.” She added that deleting the video does not absolve those involved of responsibility.
Congress leader Supriya Shrinate said the removal of the video was not enough, calling the content “toxic” and saying it openly promoted hatred and violence. She questioned the silence of the courts and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, remarking that the video reflected the BJP’s true character.
Senior advocate Prashant Bhushan called on the Supreme Court to take suo motu cognisance of the matter, terming it a “serious criminal offence.” He said that if an Opposition leader had shared a similar post, they could have been jailed under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
Journalist Rana Ayyub also condemned the video, saying it reflected “rot at the top,” particularly at a time when Prime Minister Modi was highlighting his warm reception in Muslim-majority Malaysia.
The controversy comes against the backdrop of a series of statements made by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma targeting Bengali-origin Muslims in Assam. In earlier remarks, Sarma had said it was his “duty to trouble the ‘Miya’ community.” The term “Miya” is widely considered derogatory in Assam and is often used to refer to alleged undocumented migrants, particularly Bengali-speaking Muslims whose families migrated to the state during the colonial period.
In January, Sarma openly said he was encouraging people to harass members of the Miya community. “If the auto-rickshaw fare is ₹5, give them ₹4,” he said, suggesting that making life difficult would force them to leave Assam.
On the same day, the Chief Minister claimed that four to five lakh ‘Miya’ voters would be removed during a special revision of the voter list and admitted that arrangements had already been made by the BJP government to prevent them from voting. A day later, Sarma stated that BJP workers had filed over five lakh complaints against “suspected foreigners” during the revision process.
The deleted video and the statements surrounding it have intensified concerns over hate speech, misuse of artificial intelligence, and the targeting of minority communities, with growing calls for judicial and constitutional scrutiny.
