Grossly offensive!

A self-styled intellectual and political commentator based in Kolkata has made a blatant attempt to rake up an entirely unnecessary controversy by making a grossly criminal, derogatory and offensive comment against Swargadeo Siukapha, founder of the great Ahom kingdom and one of the founders of the Assamese identity. Though this person called Garga Chatterjee did not mention the name of Siukapha, it was very obvious who he had meant, when he asked in a tweet on June 17 thus – "Why does@sarbanandsonwal regularly celebrate a Chinese invader and his invading army? Why does banned separatist group ULFA also celebrate the Chinese invader? Do real Indians know that Indian tax money is being used by BJP in Assam to put up statues of a Chinese invader?" While this tweet has triggered off sharp reactions in the minds of the people of Assam, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Friday promptly directed the Police to send a team to Kolkata and arrest and bring the person to Guwahati. A statement issued by the Chief Minister's office on Friday said Sonowal has directed the Guwahati Police Commissioner to arrest and bring Garga Chatterjee of West Bengal to Assam for posting such offensive remarks on social media. Chief Minister Sonowal also said that Siukapha was the architect of the greater Assamese identity and as such making derogatory statements about such a great personality could not be tolerated. Saying that posting of offensive remarks on social media misinterpreting historical facts could lead to a rift between different communities in an ethnically diverse state like Assam, Chief Minister Sonowal also said that the derogatory statements had hurt the sentiments of entire Assamese people. He also very rightfully underlined the need for taking legal action against such offenders in order to discourage such behaviours in the future. While every person living in Assam should condemn such acts, the government and the court of law should take the most stringent action against such offenders who have made a habit of creating friction in the society. In fact, the Government of West Bengal should have made the first move in arresting the culprit, given the fact that he was not only passing offensive remarks against one of the father figures of the Assamese people, but was also trying to create enmity between communities. It is quite natural that every person in Assam is offended because of this remark against Siukapha, who, apart from having founded the Ahom dynasty without any bloodshed, had also contributed in the greatest manner to shape the Assamese identity by unifying several communities and kingdoms of the Brahmaputra Valley into one. Assam has been a major highway in the history of human civilization since time immemorial. While human footprints in Assam have been traced back to the Early Stone Age or Paleolithic Age (from 40,000-35,000 years ago), this is one state which has traces of the highest number of races among all states of the country. They include Aryans, Austrics, pre-Dravidians, Negritos, Austroloids, Mongoloids, Alpines or Armenoids, Mediterraneans, Indo-Aryana and Irano-Scythians. Even in modern times, people from all over the subcontinent have come to make this land by the mighty Brahmaputra their home by way of assimilating into the greater Assamese identity. The melting pot that Assam is today, owes its mixture of people to such diverse races, cultures and traditions that have come to live together by the Red River. Individuals like Garga Chatterjee who are either illiterate as well as ignorant about the history and heritage of this great country, or are deliberately out to foment trouble, must be awarded exemplary punishment. The laws should also be strictly applied against all those people like the above-mentioned one who misuse the various social media platforms by posting derogatory, obscene, offensive, defamatory, communal, divisive and inflammatory remarks and comments. Such acts should be condemned. People should also protest, but not by causing disruptions, or by resorting to equally offensive, obscene and derogatory remarks. It will also serve well if the Government and the court of law also act quickly and award the maximum possible punishment to such offenders.