"Jail Jaane Ke Liye Taiyaar Rahunga...": CM Sarma on Video Controversy

After controversy over a now-deleted video, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday said that he will be ready to go to jail. Responding to a reporter’s question about All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi’s FIR against him, Sarma said that he did not know anything about the video.

The video in question depicted the Assam Chief Minister holding an air rifle, followed by AI-generated scenes depicting men wearing skull caps and sporting long beards, markers of their Muslim identity. The deleted video, captioned “point blank shot”, showed Sarma firing at those men. It was posted by the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Assam unit on its official social media handles, but was later deleted after it was flagged for being hateful towards the Muslim community and promoting extreme violence.

What Owaisi Said?

Asaduddin Owaisi today lodged a complaint over the video at the Hyderabad City Police Commissionerate and sought action against Sarma. He claimed that Sarma repeatedly made inflammatory statements targeting a specific community through various media platforms in a bid to promote enmity between religious groups. Owaisi's complaint alleged that these actions were deliberate and malicious attempts to outrage religious feelings and prejudice national integration.

Himanta's Response

Asked about it today, Sarma said, “Chalo jail jaane ke liye taiyaar rahunga, kya karunga…(I’ll be ready to go to jail, what can I do)”

“I don’t know anything about any video. If anyone has filed a case against me, then [police] should arrest me. I have no objection,” Sarma added. However, the chief minister said that he will not back down from his fight against illegal Bangladeshi immigrants. “I will stand by my words. We are against Bangladeshi infiltrators, and we will continue to be against them,” he said.

Also Read: Mira Borthakur's FIR Against Assam BJP Demand Over Deleted 'Hateful' Video