Khumtai (Assam): Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday said he would initiate “at least 100 cases” against writer and social activist Harsh Mander, a day after Mander filed a police complaint accusing the chief minister of making hate speech against Bengali-speaking Muslims.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a programme at Khumtai in Golaghat district, Sarma dismissed the complaint and launched a sharp attack on Mander, holding him responsible for what he described as the derailment of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) exercise in Assam.
“Who is Harsh Mander? I have seen many like him,” Sarma said, adding that he possessed sufficient material to pursue legal action. “He has filed one case against me. I will file at least 100 cases against him now.”
Mander is reported to have lodged a complaint at the Hauz Khas police station in New Delhi, alleging that Sarma’s public statements promoted hatred, harassment and discrimination against Bengali-speaking Muslims in Assam.
The chief minister reiterated his long-standing allegation that Mander and others had interfered in the NRC update process.
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“People like him came to Assam during the NRC exercise and spoiled the entire process,” Sarma said, accusing them of facilitating the inclusion of ineligible applicants through fabricated family linkages.
“If I had been in authority at that time, I would have taught him a lesson,” Sarma added.
The NRC update, aimed at identifying illegal immigrants in Assam, culminated in the publication of the final list on August 31, 2019. Of the 3,30,27,661 applicants, 3,11,21,004 names were included, though the final NRC is yet to be officially notified.
The exchange marks the latest escalation in a long-running political and legal confrontation over the NRC and alleged communal rhetoric in the state.
