Mahibul Hoque with Kazi Sharowar Hussain
Amid calls for expulsion of Miya Muslims from Nothern Assam districts and ethnic Assamese majority areas following the alleged gangrape of a 14-year-old girl in Nagaon, Miya Muslim labourers accuse that they were subjected to racial violence.
“It is because we are Miya Muslims and they didn’t want to pay our wages that is why they beat us”, said Saddam Ahmed who fled from Choraideo district’s Nazira town on the early morning of August 25.
Saddam along with 11 other construction workers spent a harrowing night on 24 August hiding inside a jungle near Dolbagan village in Choraideo district.
“After working the whole day in the scorching heat, we rested like any other day. At around 10:30 pm, some 14 to 15 masked men came to our room and asked us to come out. They came with daggers, swords, lathis, and pipes,” Saddam recounted the incident.
“We were not even allowed to take our shirts. When we went outside, they made us kneel and hold our ears.”
The workers said they were asked to chant aatasu zindabad, joi aai ahom (hail aatasu, mother Assam) as they were being beaten. AATASU or All Assam Tai Ahom Students’ Union is a student body of the Ahom community.
Narrating the assaults by the group of masked men, Saddam said, “Three of them kept thrashing us with lathis. When one finished the row, then the other started beating. They also said that if you go to the police or talk to the press, they will kill us.”
Anti-Miya sentiments were escalating in Assam following the rape of a 14-year-old girl in Nagaon district’s Dhing area where one of the accused was a Miya Muslim and the identities of the other two were not established yet.
Indicating that they were subjected to racial violence, the labourers said that the assailants did not say anything to the Bodo labourers working there. “There were Adivasi and Bodo workers also. The Adivasi group left around 3 PM after the day’s work on that day. On any other day, the Bodo workers go upstairs and stay there till 10:30-11 pm. But that day, they stayed inside the whole time. I think they knew that we would be attacked”, said Saddam.
Following the brutal assault, the Bodo workers approached the Miya Muslim labourers and informed them that another assailant party might come at night. “They said that we should be careful. So, we rushed to the jungle near the hill”, said Rajibul Hoque as he said their co-workers did not come to help them.
Nine of the workers have filed a police complaint at Barpeta Sadar police station recently accusing contractor Mayur Borguhain, under whom they were engaged, of physical assault and issuing death threats to them.
Accused Mayur Borguhain is the Sivasagar district president of the ruling BJP.
A member of the assailants also made a video of the men kneeling and holding their ears. Speaking about the video, Congress MLA from Nazira constituency assembly Debabrata Saikia said that the district administration had told him the video was old.
“It is not true that the video was not of the incident. We were beaten and they made the video,” said Saddam arguing that the district officials tried to downplay the incident.
The labourers also alleged that the BJP leader used the anti-Miya sentiment to drive them out and not pay their dues. “The contractor (Mayur Borguhain) owes us Rs 15 lakh. I have around Rs 6 lakh of wages to be paid by him,” said Rajibul Hoque who works as a mason and sub-contractor.
“They asked us to leave and not ask for the bill he has to pay”, Rajibul added as he said they walked some 15 km to reach Sonari railway station to leave the place.
Saddam added, “While we were walking with our bags, a person came to us and asked where we were going. Everyone of us were so fearful that we did not say anything. I just wanted to get home.”
The workers who are in a state of fear said they do not know how they will manage to meet the month’s ends as all their wages are forsaken as of now.
Incidents of Miya Muslims targeted across Assam have been going on since the rape of the minor girl in Nagaon district that happened on 22 August. Two days later, Indigenous organisations in eastern Assam launched a drive to oust the Miya-Muslims working there. The organisations issued a diktat that the Miya-Muslims had to leave upper Assam within seven days.
On 21 August around 10:40 PM Assam’s chief minister streamed a Facebook live where he listed out crimes against women and some other communities since May 2024 where he accused the perpetrators were Miya Muslims.
As four opposition leaders raised an adjournment motion in the state assembly and Jania MLA AIUDF Rafiqul Islam said that anyone from any community can go to any place in India, chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said in the assembly, “One big issue Rafiqul Islam and Debabrata Saikia said that Miyas from Lower Assam will go to Upper. Why, Why should they go; answer it. That means you will take over the whole of Assam.”
He went on to categorically say, “You, Miya Muslims will take over the whole of Upper Assam. We won’t let you take… I will take a side, what will you do? I will take a side, do whatever you can.”
Following the incidents of outstering of workers based on racial origins, Akhil Gogoi, MLA from Sivasagar accused the BJP of instigating violence.
“BJP is trying to recreate the 2002 Gujarat episodes in Assam. To win elections they desire to create a situation of instability and conflict in Assam. We are well aware of those in Assam who are following the dictates of the BJP agenda.”, he posted on X.
Mahibul Hoque is an independent journalist and documentary filmmaker based in Assam and Kazi Sharowar Hussain is an Assam-based poet, filmmaker and writer.
