05, Dec 2022 | CJP Team

The National Commission for Minorities (NCM), on November 25, has asked Director General of Police (DGP), Assam to send a detailed report in this matter within 21 days so that the Commission can consider the same and give its decision.

On October 31, Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) filed a complaint with the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) against serial hate offender Shiladitya Dev, after he made derogatory statements and spewed hate against the “Miya Muslims” in Assam in the instigating video that has been uploaded on Facebook.

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Shiladitya Dev who is a BJP leader and previously a Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) from the Hojai constituency of Assam, has in the impugned video said, “Assam is filled with Miyas, so why there is need for a Miya Museum, it should be set on fire and set ablaze.” This was a brazen incitement to targeted violence. He then continued, “After the CAA protest, one section of the community wants Miya Museum in Srimanta Shankardev Kalakhetrya, specially one MLA.” This reference to one MLA, by Dev was meant to target Sherman Ali Ahmed. He also spoke of the origin of today’s Muslim, “90-99 out of 100 Muslims in Assam have been basically converted from the Hindu religion; and even today, some of them still have a Tulsi plant in the verandas of their homes in upper Assam.” He also demanded that the authorities demolish the Miya Museum forthwith.

He continued, “Miya culture cannot be the culture of Assam so the Museum cannot be built here. The country was divided for Miyas on the basis of religion and, so if they want to build any such Museum then they should build it in Bangladesh or Pakistan. We won’t have any objections then.” Continuing with his diatribe, he said “Lungi Topi (the lower garb and skull cap) cannot be their identity, and indigenous Muslim also do not wear that Lungi and Topi.” He alleged that Miya Muslim people trying to establish Arabic Culture in Assam!

This is not the first time that Shiladitya Dev has found himself in trouble over his comments. In Aug 2020, multiple FIRs had been filed against him by several groups and individuals for particularly inciteful speeches. At the time, he had even been widely condemned by Assamese society when he had dared dubbed Assamese litterateur who happened to be a Muslim, an “intellectual jihadi.”

In June 2022, during a news debate on a regional news channel, NKTV, Dev had said, “80 lakh Bangladeshi origin Muslims have illegally entered India,” and that “During partition Muslims had created a separate country for themselves. They should be grateful they are being allowed to live in India.” Though the purpose of the debate was to discuss the Batadraba violence and its aftermath, it quickly veered towards the topic of the National Register of Citizens (NRC), and the alleged infiltration by illegal Bangladeshi immigrants.

Dev began by tracing his own roots to Bangladesh, saying, “I didn’t hesitate to admit that my father was originally from Rangpur district. But Muslims never admit to their origins.”

His ‘hate offender’ profile may be read here.

CJP’s complaint to NCM against Shiladitya Dev may be read here.

Image Courtesy: indianexpress.com

Related:

CJP MOVES NCM AGAINST SHILADITYA DEV FOR TARGETING THE ‘MIYA MUSLIM’ COMMUNITY OF ASSAM

HATE WATCH: WHY DID NKTV ALLOW BJP’S SHILADITYA DEV TO GET AWAY WITH MAKING ANTI-MUSLIM COMMENTS?

POLITICAL FUNCTIONARIES SPEW HATE AGAINST MINORITY: ASSAM