A video posted on the Assam BJP’s official X (formerly Twitter) account sparked widespread outrage after it appeared to show Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma aiming and firing a rifle at people presented as Muslims, with the caption “point-blank shot.” The clip reportedly mixed actual footage of the CM handling a firearm with AI-generated images of men wearing skull caps and beards — markers historically associated with Muslim identity.
The video also displayed phrases like “foreigner-free Assam” and “No mercy,” along with text that critics described as communal and inciting hatred. After the backlash, the Assam BJP deleted the post, but not before it was viewed and shared extensively.
Congress Reaction: ‘Call to Genocide’
The Congress party strongly condemned the video. Party leaders called it “deeply abhorrent” and said it could not be dismissed as mere trolling. K.C. Venugopal, Congress general secretary, wrote that the post looked like a “targeted, point-blank murder of minorities” and described it as “nothing but a call to genocide.” He urged the judiciary to intervene and take strict action against those responsible.
Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said that simply deleting the video was not enough, accusing the BJP of promoting hatred and violence. She asked whether courts and institutions were “sleeping” in the face of such content.
Trinamool Congress and Legal Concerns
The All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) Assam unit also criticised the video, calling it “performative bloodlust” and accusing the BJP of normalising hatred against minorities. TMC MP Sagarika Ghose even suggested that posting such content could amount to a legal offence under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and demanded accountability for those involved.
Opposition leaders argued that the video normalised violence and widened communal divides, especially in the run-up to elections in Assam.
Political Backdrop and Broader Debate
The controversy comes at a time when Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s statements about the Bengali-speaking Muslim community in Assam, often referred to in political discourse as “Miya Muslims,” have already been politically charged and criticised by opponents. Critics contend that such rhetoric contributes to polarisation and is unhelpful in a diverse, democratic society.
Both national and regional opposition figures have called for judicial scrutiny and action rather than letting the matter rest as an online mistake, stressing that political messaging should not incite violence or hatred against communities.
