Indian Muslim Groups Seek Supreme Court Action Over Assam CM’s Alleged Hate Speech Against Muslims

Indian Muslim Groups Seek Supreme Court Action Over Assam CM’s Alleged Hate Speech Against Muslims
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The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) and Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind (Mahmood Madani faction) have both condemned recent remarks attributed to Sarma, calling on the Supreme Court to intervene and examine their constitutional, legal and social implications.

According to local media reports, AIMPLB spokesperson Syed Qasim Rasool Ilyas said toxic propaganda and hate speech against Muslims had become a routine political practice among BJP leaders. He specifically criticized statements by the chief ministers of Assam, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, questioning how elected officials sworn to uphold the Indian Constitution could repeatedly use language described as divisive and discriminatory. Ilyas warned that targeting a specific community undermines social harmony and risks normalizing hate speech in public life.

Separately, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind has formally approached the Supreme Court seeking action against Sarma for what it described as “openly communal and deeply divisive” remarks aimed at the Bengali-speaking Muslim “Miya” community, a term widely regarded as pejorative in Assam. In a petition filed by Jamiat president Maulana Mahmood Madani, the organisation accused Sarma of violating constitutional principles and misusing his office to stigmatise an entire community.

The plea refers to a speech delivered by Sarma on January 27, 2026, in which he reportedly claimed that between 400,000 and 500,000 “Miya” voters would be removed from electoral rolls during an ongoing revision process. He was also reported to have said that he and the BJP were “directly against the Miya community,” while encouraging actions to “trouble” them, including economic pressure, to force them to leave the state.

Jamiat argued that such remarks go beyond permissible political speech and amount to hate speech that incites hostility and erodes the dignity of constitutional office. The application was filed under a pending Supreme Court case on hate speech, in which the court has reserved judgment. Separately, activist Harsh Mander has filed a police complaint in New Delhi alleging promotion of enmity.

Both organisations have urged secular political parties and civil society to respond through legal and constitutional means, warning that continued inaction could further endanger minority rights and social cohesion in India.