A day after the authorities sealed a ‘Miya Museum’, arrange with the intention of preserving the tradition and heritage of Bengali-origin Muslims in Assam, the state police Wednesday arrested three individuals related to the personal initiative.
The three have been charged, amongst different sections, below the anti-terror laws UAPA. Police mentioned the fees had been unrelated to the establishing of the museum, which was sealed on Tuesday, two days after its inauguration.
The three arrested embody All Assam Miya Parishad president M Mohar Ali, in whose home in Dapkarbhita space of Goalpara district the museum was arrange; its common secretary Abdul Baten Sheikh, who was held from his residence in Alamganj, Dhubri district; and Tanu Dhadhumia, who launched the museum and was arrested from Dibrugarh.
Goalpara Superintendent of Police V V Rakesh Reddy informed The Indian Categorical that Ali was arrested in reference to a case registered in Nalbari district. The museum had been sealed on the grounds that it was arrange in a home allotted to Ali below the PMAY-G (Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin).
“We’ve merely facilitated the arrest, we don’t have particulars of the case. It was an inter-district matter,” Reddy mentioned, including that it had nothing to do with the Miya Museum concern.
Sources mentioned all three had been dropped at Nalbari district over a case registered at Ghograpar Police Station, and booked below the stringent Illegal Actions (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
Whereas police superintendent of Nalbari refused to remark, Particular Director Normal of Assam Police G P Singh took to Twitter to say the three had been charged with waging or making an attempt to wage warfare in opposition to India below Sections 120 (B), 121, 121(A), 122 of the IPC, learn along with Sections 10/13 of the UAPA.
“Additional investigation and interrogation could be carried out about their affiliation with AQIS/ABT,” the Particular DGP tweeted.
Not too long ago, 4 personal madrasas in Morigaon, Bongaigaon and Goalpara districts of Assam had been demolished over alleged involvement with these two terror outfits – al-Qaeda within the Indian Subcontinent, and Ansarullah Bangla Staff. Three of those 4 had been demolished by authorities authorities whereas officers claimed that the fourth had been pulled down by the folks themselves.
Miya Parishad chief advisor Giasuddin Hazarika informed the media that they had been “nonetheless unaware” as to why the authorities had sealed the museum or arrested Ali. Hazarika added that he had informed the Parishad to satisfy Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma earlier than launching the Miya Museum, and apprise him of their considerations.
Each the Congress and All India United Democratic Entrance questioned the arrests, saying motion in opposition to somebody “making an attempt to uphold tradition” is “an instance of the politics of domination and communal divide”.
The AIUDF is seen because the voice of Bengali-origin Muslims within the state, who are sometimes derided as unlawful immigrants or “Bangladeshis”, and referred to derogatorily as Miyas.
AIUDF common secretary Aminul Islam informed The Indian Categorical that although his social gathering doesn’t help the thought of a Miya Museum – the Miya Parishad had mentioned it desires to arrange a number of extra — arresting somebody for placing just a few gadgets on show to showcase tradition was pointless.
“Earlier there was Miya poetry and now Miya Museum. We should always discover out the roots of those. We’re all Assamese and we don’t help additional division into sub-groups like Goria Muslims, Miya Muslims and the like,” Islam mentioned. Nonetheless, he added, this was one other instance of the BJP authorities at all times elevating “caste, area, group, faith and such points”.
Strolling a tightrope in Assam the place the BJP targets the AIUDF as anti-national, Islam urged that the Miya Muslim train might be “a BJP handiwork”. “Miya Muslim, Assamese Muslim… the federal government is making an attempt to interrupt Muslims on this method… They (the BJP) need masala. PM Modi says Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, however one thing totally completely different is being carried out right here”, he mentioned.
“In the event that they (the Miya Parishad) tried to protect cultural rights, which IPC rule did they violate? It’s a elementary and Constitutional proper… If anybody has put a langol (plough) in a museum, what’s there to place them in jail for?” Islam mentioned.
The Miya Parishad had displayed within the museum gadgets used usually by members of the group, reminiscent of lungi, langol, pitha (a type of rice cake), and a few farming gear. Questioning the identical after the sealing of the museum, CM Sarma mentioned these things didn’t belong to the group however had been “Assamese”. “Solely the lungi is theirs.”
With the federal government additionally stating that it will probe the funding behind the Miya Museum, the AIUDF chief mentioned such questions had been “shocking”. “Nothing within the museum is price greater than Rs 5,000. These are regular gadgets of every day use.”
The Congress criticised the arrests as “an effort of non secular polarisation”, and an try to blow up the problem. “It’s a free nation. Anyone can hold their forefather’s issues and name it a museum. From what I’ve heard, the CM too has reacted on the problem. There are different severe issues a CM should ponder about and act upon,” Chief of Opposition Debabrata Saikia mentioned, itemizing points like Assamese not being obligatory in state civil service, halting of Assamese language radio broadcast from Higher Assam, as issues Sarma ought to take up.
On the identical time, Saikia mentioned, it was true that some agricultural and fishing instruments displayed within the Miya Museum and claimed as a part of Miya tradition weren’t unique to it and shouldn’t be claimed as such.
Miya Parishad president Mohar Ali had mentioned they hoped that when guests got here to the museum, they’d know that the group had quite a bit in frequent with different teams in Assam.