GUWAHATI: Controversial former IAS officer Harsh Munder and his group are encouraging Bangladeshi descent Muslims in Assam to organise against any evictions from forests and tribal lands. Consequently, during an eviction from the tribal belt last month that left over 22 police personnel and government officials injured, Muslim encroachers of Bangladeshi descent attacked Assam police in the Sonapur area near Guwahati. These evictions are carried out as per Guwahati High Court order.
Those such as Harsh Mander, according to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, are stirring up trouble and encouraging people during eviction drives. Not only Munder all such activist of national level are roaming in Assam for the last three months and organising people against legal eviction drives from forest, government and tribal belt land.
“Mander and others have been visiting Assam on a regular basis for the past three months, which has fueled tensions, but they are cautious not to cross legal boundaries,” CM Sarma stated. He added that the Assam police are keeping a careful eye on Munder and his team’s activities and will take prompt suitable action. The chief minister has expressed concern over the growing number of Jihadi extremists in the state, predicting that in ten years, Assam will no longer be a secure place for the indigenous population. Following the National Investigation Agency’s (NIA) arrest of 9 Islamist radicals from Goalpara district of Assam, Chief Minister Sarma made his remarks. CM Sarma stated, “The return of Jihadi fundamentalists is real, and it’s a matter of concern,” adding that arrests made by NIA from Assam who are members of terrorist organisations like JeM are a regular occurrence, suggesting a growing trend.
He claimed outside influence and connected protests against eviction drives in places like Kosutoli, Sonapur, to extremist elements. It is worth mentioning that the Islamists in Sonapur sang “Nara e Takbeer, Allah Ho Akbar,” brandished sharp weapons at law enforcement, and even pelted stones at them. Additionally, CM Sarma stated that the state government is keeping an eye on these actions and will take the appropriate measures. Arrests of these folks are a bit tough as they do all their actions methodically and they stand on the extreme border of the boundary of law. However, the security agencies would undoubtedly pursue all available legal remedies to stop such provocative activities.
