Justice Served: 50 Arrested, Including MLA, in Heart-Wrenching Crackdown on Pakistan Sympathizers After Pahalgam Terror Attack
Assam Police have arrested at least 50 individuals amid a crackdown on what they term ‘Pakistan sympathizers,’ following a terror attack in Pahalgam that claimed 26 lives, primarily tourists, on April 22. The arrests, which include students and a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA), were largely initiated based on complaints from the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), a student organization aligned with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological base of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Notably, AIUDF MLA Aminul Islam was apprehended on April 24 for statements made at a political rally, where he allegedly suggested that the attacks were orchestrated by the Union government. He faces charges under Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, for actions deemed detrimental to India’s unity and sovereignty. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has empowered district authorities to invoke the National Security Act against repeat offenders, labeling the accused as “traitors defending Pakistan on Indian soil.” He emphasized that any expression of support for adversaries amounts to treason.
The police have executed these arrests across 21 districts, with one woman among those detained. Reports indicate that five of these arrests occurred following the initiation of Operation Sindoor on May 7, aimed at dismantling nine terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir in response to the Pahalgam attack. In the aftermath of the assault, the Indian Armed Forces conducted a retaliatory operation, which has since heightened security concerns.
Of the recent arrests, seven individuals were apprehended in Cachar district, located in the predominantly Bengali Barak Valley. Superintendent of Police Numal Mahatta noted that the social media monitoring cell within his office is actively tracking potentially incriminating posts. The police have benefitted from public engagement, where social media users have tagged authorities regarding suspicious posts or comments. For instance, Ajibor Rahman was arrested on May 4 after a user alerted the police to his April 24 social media post, culminating in his detainment in Lakshmipur, Telangana, nearly two weeks later.
Additionally, two students from Barak Valley were taken into custody following reports filed by the ABVP—one for a Facebook post and the other for a comment on social media. The Telangana-captured individual was traced and arrested in connection with a social media post that implicated him.
The crackdown reflects a broader effort to curb sympathies towards perceived enemies and uphold national security. Assam’s police force continues to monitor digital platforms closely, using resources from the Cyberdome based at police headquarters, as well as three dedicated cyber police outposts in Assam: in Guwahati, Dibrugarh, and Cachar.
With escalating tensions and public concern for safety following the Pahalgam terror attack, the message from the Assam government remains clear: any support for adversaries will not be tolerated. As operations continue and partnerships between law enforcement and the public grow, the state seeks to strengthen its defenses against any threat to national integrity.
Original Source: https://www.livemint.com/news/india/crackdown-on-pakistan-sympathisers-50-including-an-mla-arrested-in-assam-post-pahalgam-attack-biswa-sarma-abvp-11747110462166.html
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Publish Date: 2025-05-13 10:12:00
