Guwahati: A former MLA in Assam has been arrested after a deeply provocative social media video in which he threatened to “slaughter” police personnel went viral — throwing a shadow over the upcoming Eid celebrations in the state even as Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma makes a public appeal for peace and harmony.
Dhubri SP Devasish Borah said, “ a case has been registered against him. This type of statement may cause social disharmony which is against the law.”
The arrested individual is Ali Akbar Miya — former legislator and a known face in Assam’s political circles for his continuous hate speeches.
In the viral video, Ali Akbar Miya is clearly heard making an extraordinary call to violence against law enforcement personnel.
He stated that if any Assam Police personnel tries to prevent Muslims from slaughtering cows during Eid, the villagers should tie that officer up with a rope. He went further — telling people to immediately inform him of any such situation so that he personally could “slaughter” the police personnel concerned.
The video spread rapidly across social media platforms. The reaction was immediate and unequivocal. Assam Police moved swiftly. Ali Akbar Miya was arrested.
A former elected representative, a man who once swore an oath to uphold the Constitution, had publicly called on civilians to restrain police officers and had personally threatened to kill them. That is not political speech. That is not a religious expression. It is a criminal threat — and it has been treated as one.
CM Sarma’s appeal
Even as the Ali Akbar video was doing the rounds, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma was on social media with a message of an entirely different kind.
On May 23, the Chief Minister made a direct and personal appeal to Eid committees across Assam — asking them to celebrate Eid without cow slaughter, stressing the importance of respecting the religious sentiments of the majority Sanatan community and adhering to existing laws.
“I appeal to all Eid committees to celebrate Eid peacefully and harmoniously,” CM Sarma said, calling for a festival that brings communities together rather than driving them apart.
What followed from several corners of Assam was, by any measure, a positive and significant development.
Eid committees and graveyard committees from multiple districts responded to the CM’s appeal — not with resistance, but with their own voluntary announcements urging people to refrain from cow slaughter during Bakrid.
CM Sarma shared newspaper clippings and press releases from committees in Hojai, Dhubri, Bongaigaon and Udharbond — each one independently calling on its community to avoid cow slaughter out of respect for the sentiments of their Hindu neighbours.
The Dhubri Town Eidgah Committee — one of the most prominent in the state — specifically urged people to refrain from cow slaughter following appeals from various organisations and local committees.
The Chief Minister welcomed each of these announcements warmly, saying they “reflected respect for the sentiments of the majority Sanatan community in the state.”
