Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI: The ongoing tirade against the Miyan Muslims in Assam has also shaken the very base of the around 40 lakh indigenous Muslims residing for centuries in the state. This is because most of the common citizens cannot differentiate the difference between ‘Miyan (immigrant) Muslims and Khilonjia (indigenous) Muslims’. Gauging the gravity of the situation, the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) has raised their voice and urged the Chief Election Officer (CEO) of the state to see that the indigenous Muslims of the state should not face any harassment during the SR.
According to prominent indigenous Muslims like Nekibur Zaman, Abdul Habid and others, the identity of the indigenous Muslims of the state is under threat from the immigrant Muslims. The threat has aggravated, as the indigenous Muslims have no political platform to make their voices heard, they said.
According to Zaman, statements such as ‘the population of Muslims in Assam is 39 per cent’ also encompass the approximately 40 lakh indigenous Muslims in the state, who, despite having several organisations, are not well organised. “We have no Members of Parliament (MPs) or Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) to raise our voices in the appropriate forums,” he said.
The situation has taken a turn for the worse as several indigenous Muslims have also received notices during the ongoing SR (Special Revision) of the electoral roll. Abdul Hamid, the president of the Assam Goria-Moria Parishad, asserts that the immigrant Muslims’ aggression has jeopardised the identity of the indigenous Muslims in numerous Assamese locations. “It’s time the indigenous Muslims raised their voice against some of the activities of the immigrant Muslims,” he said. Hamid urged the Chief Minister to ensure that the indigenous Muslims have at least five MLAs.
Meanwhile, in a statement issued to the media today, the AASU said, “We support the SR and the deletion of illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators from the electoral roll, as the immigrant Muslims have become the deciding factor in several LACs in the state. Our stand is clear that we want a neat and clean electoral roll, free from the names of any illegal Bangladeshis. We have, however, noticed that many indigenous Muslims have also received notices during the ongoing SR. This development has made them shaky. They apprehend that their names may also be deleted during the SR.”
Sending its demand letter to the CEO today, the AASU said, “The election commission should resolve on a priority basis the issue of indigenous Muslims who have received notices.”
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma stated, “What’s happening in the state is related to the SR process. This is a preliminary stage for the deletion of illegal migrants’ names. When the SIR is carried out in Assam, four to five lakh Miyan voters will be deleted. We need to ensure the deletion of doubtful voters, failing which Miyans will be dominant in Duliajan, Tinsukia, etc.”
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