Assam CM 'inciting genocide’ against Muslims, alleges Gaurav Gogoi, demands police action

Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi on Monday accused Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma of "inciting genocide" against Muslims through his videos, and urged police to take suo motu cognisance.

Gogoi was alluding to a now-deleted video, shared by the state BJP on X, which showed Sarma purportedly taking aim with a rifle and firing a shot at two people, one wearing a skull cap and the other with a beard, with "point-blank shot" as the caption.

“The Assam CM is inciting genocide against Muslims through his videos... Police must take suo motu cognisance of Sarma targeting a particular community, and sharing vicious social media videos,” Gogoi told a press conference.

The Congress MP’s comments also came amid a verbal duel with Sarma, who has been alleging that Gogoi and his family have Pakistani links. Gogoi said he would also explore legal options over his minor children being dragged into the controversy by the CM.

The Congress leader claimed that his wife had visited Pakistan for work-related purposes in 2013, and he had accompanied her on a 10-day trip to the neighbouring country in December that year.

“The SIT never questioned me about my 2013 visit to Pakistan for 10 days. The Assam CM sat over the SIT report for six months, as it has nothing to prove his allegations of my Pakistan links,” Gogoi asserted.