A public interest litigation has been filed in the Supreme Court alleging that a series of statements and actions by senior political leaders, including Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, amount to incitement of hatred and constitute a breach of constitutional duty by high public officeholders. The petition, brought by a group of 12 social activists, asks the court to intervene and prescribe clear limits on hate speech and divisive rhetoric by constitutional authorities.
The petitioners say the PIL singles out multiple remarks attributed to Mr. Sarma — including references to “Miya Muslims,” the phrase “flood jihad,” and comments suggesting the removal of members of a particular religious community from electoral rolls — and argues these statements specifically target the Muslim community and undermine constitutional principles of equality, secularism and fraternity.
The plea also points to a now-deleted video shared on the Assam BJP’s official social media account that, according to the petition, showed Mr. Sarma firing at images of men depicted with skull caps and beards. Text shown in the video reportedly included phrases such as “foreigner free Assam” and “no mercy,” and Assamese text allegedly asking, “Why did you not go to Pakistan?” and stating “There is no forgiveness for Bangladeshis.” The petition describes the video as carrying overt communal overtones amid heightened tensions around rhetoric directed at Bengali-origin Muslims in Assam.
Petitioners contend the problem is wider than one state, listing divisive remarks by other leaders including Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath (citing his “kathmulla” comment in the state assembly), Maharashtra minister Nitesh Rane, and an alleged exhortation by National Security Adviser Ajit Doval to “avenge history.”
Named among the petitioners are academic Roop Rekha Verma, former Delhi Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung and journalist-activist John Dayal. The plea argues that repeated inflammatory statements by persons in high office erode public trust in constitutional governance and asks the Supreme Court to lay down binding guidelines to prevent hate speech and protect communal harmony.
Original Source: https://www.indiatodayne.in/assam/story/activists-move-sc-over-assam-cms-shooting-video-cite-anti-muslim-remarks-as-inciting-hatred-1343839-2026-02-09?utm_source=rssfeed
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Publish Date: 2026-02-09 22:39:00
