TWO DAYS after a ‘Miya Museum’ was inaugurated in Assam’s Goalpara district, to commemorate the Bengali-origin Muslims of the state, the Himanta Biswa Sarma authorities ordered it sealed on Tuesday after protests by BJP leaders, amongst others.
An official of the Lakhipur Income Circle ordered the sealing, on the grounds that the non-public museum had come up in a home constructed below the PMAY-G (Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin). The discover says, “As per Course of DC Goalpara, this PMAY-G home of Mohar Ali, S/O Somesh Ali of Vill-Dapkarbhita, is hereby sealed till additional order.”
Chief Minister Sarma defended the sealing, saying many gadgets placed on show within the ‘Miya Museum’ — as a part of the tradition of descendants of people that migrated from what was to develop into East Pakistan and Bangladesh — have been really a part of “Assamese tradition”. He warned of a probe into the supply of funding for the museum.
‘Miya’ is a derogatory time period used for Bengali-origin Muslims in Assam, lots of whom have borne the brunt of the NRC drive within the state to weed out “unlawful immigrants”.
After the museum was sealed, Mohar Ali alongside along with his two minor sons sat on a dharna outdoors his home, as per a PTI report. “We’re displaying objects with which the group identifies itself so that individuals from different communities can realise that the Miyas aren’t any completely different from them,” he informed reporters. PTI stated that the police later took him into custody.
On Sunday, the All Assam Miya Parishad’s Goalpara Committee inaugurated the Miya Museum at Dapkarvita space in Goalpara, with the goal of “preserving the tradition and heritage” of the Miyas.
The museum showcased gadgets utilized by the group, comparable to lungi, langol or plough, sorts of fishing gear and pitha (a type of rice cake), in addition to gadgets which have now gone out of use.
After the inauguration, Miya Parishad president Mohar Ali stated comparable museums can be arrange in several components of Assam, comparable to Morigaon. He additionally appealed to the state authorities to supply 11 bighas of land for the aim and for establishing a Miya Cultural Advanced and Library, in addition to urged Sarma to arrange a Miya Museum contained in the Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra cultural hub of Guwahati.
In his feedback on Tuesday, Sarma stated gadgets like ploughs and the fishing gear displayed within the museum belonged to “the Assamese group”, and solely the lungi really belonged to the Miyas. “What’s new on this?… Allow them to show earlier than the federal government that the langol was utilized by Miya individuals alone. If they will’t do this, a case shall be filed,” the CM warned, demanding that these behind the museum “justify and substantiate their claims of displaying sure gadgets as a part of their separate tradition”.
Quickly after the inauguration of the Goalpara museum, there had been protests by BJP leaders, together with Dibrugarh MLA Prashanta Phukan, to close it. Ex-BJP MLA Shiladitya Dev sought robust motion in opposition to these accountable for setting it up.
Assam minister Urkhao Gwra Brahma questioned the “intention” behind the museum, calling it “not clear sufficient & having motive of making a cultural battle”. “This concern (will) run lengthy as poisonous smoke in (the) political air of the state. Grasp thoughts behind (the) plan is unquestionably subversive,” Brahma tweeted.
Tezpur MP Pallab Luchan Das stated: “A piece of the individuals are attempting to create unrest in Assam. I hope the federal government will take steps on the difficulty. No steps to weaken Assam shall be tolerated.”
Members of the All Assam Miya Parishad couldn’t be reached for remark regardless of repeated makes an attempt.
It was Congress MLA Sherman Ali who first proposed a Miya Museum at Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra. On the time the well being minister within the Sarbananda Sonowal Cupboard, Sarma had opposed it, saying that these primarily based within the “charlands” of Assam couldn’t declare a definite tradition and have been migrants from Bangladesh. He stated the BJP authorities wouldn’t enable any “distortion” within the Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra.
In 2019, Sarma had attacked ‘Miya poetry’, a style of writing by individuals of the group. An FIR was filed in opposition to 10 poets of the group, alleging that Miya poetry may trigger “communal disturbance” and that it painted the overall Assamese group as “xenpophobic”.
Sarma referred to the identical on Tuesday, saying that when he had spoken about Miya poetry earlier, some individuals had dubbed him “communal”. “These individuals ought to have a look at the Miya Museum and see issues for themselves,” he stated.
Whereas a majority of the Miya inhabitants lags behind the remainder of the state in all indices, the situations are worst within the char lands the place lots of them stay. Being low-lying areas, these are susceptible to floods and erosion, and practically 80% of individuals listed here are under the poverty line.