Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi has taken decisive action, submitting a formal police complaint against Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for allegedly promoting hate through a now-removed social media video. AIMIM’s president accuses the BJP leader of crossing red lines with content that simulates violence against Muslims.
Posted on February 7 via the official Assam BJP X account, the video depicted Sarma armed and firing at Muslim figures, with inflammatory captions. Deleted within 24 hours, it nonetheless spread rapidly, prompting Owaisi’s intervention.
In an exhaustive letter to the commissioner, Owaisi documented Sarma’s prolonged campaign of divisive rhetoric—via speeches, tweets, articles, and events—much of which lingers online. He accused the CM of accelerating this in recent months to deliberately provoke Muslim outrage and foster Hindu-Muslim animosity, endangering India’s secular fabric.
Owaisi cited Supreme Court judgments underscoring police duties to curb hate speech independently, positioning inaction as gross negligence.
Emphasizing the video’s nationwide availability and local viewing, he called for immediate legal steps. This confrontation arrives amid heightened scrutiny of political social media use, where visuals pack a potent punch.
The fallout could ripple through courts and public discourse, testing India’s resolve to balance expression with harmony in a diverse democracy.