So far, 19 people have been arrested in the northeastern states for ‘anti-national’ comments made over the Pahalgam terror attack. These include a sitting MLA, a journalist, students, a lawyer, and a retired teacher. The highest number of arrests has been made in Assam, where 14 people were detained till Friday, 25 April.
Most arrests in Assam
According to NDTV report, the highest number of arrests was made in Assam. Here,14 people were arrested till 25 April. The first to be arrested was Aminul Islam, MLA of the opposition party All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF). A case of sedition was registered against him because he termed the Pahalgam terror attack and the 2019 Pulwama attack as a “government conspiracy”. The court has sent him to four days of police custody.
Most of the arrests were related to comments made on social media. They were made in Assam, Meghalaya, and Tripura.
According to the report, other prominent arrests include Hailakandi journalist Mohammed Jabir Hussain, Silchar-based Assam University computer science student Mohammed AK Bahauddin, and advocate Mohammed Javed Majumdar. Besides, Mohammed Mahahar Mian from Morigaon and Mohammed Sahil Ali from Sivasagar were also arrested. Mohammed Musta Ahmed alias Sahil was detained in Karimganj for posting “Pakistan Zindabad” on Facebook.
Along with this, student leader Anil Bania from Biswanath and several others were also arrested for making “anti-India” comments online. The Cachar district police also detained two other persons for making pro-Pakistan comments on social media.
Reacting to the incidents, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, “If required, we will also invoke provisions of the National Security Act (NSA) on them. We are checking all social media posts, and strict action will be taken against anyone found indulging in anti-national activities.”
Arrests in Tripura and Meghalaya
In Tripura, four people were arrested for posting alleged “anti-national” comments on the Pahalgam incident, including three retired teachers – Jauhar Debnath, Kuldeep Mandal, and Sajal Chakraborty. Another man named Zahirul Islam from Sonamura was also detained.
Meghalaya police arrested Simon Shilla, 30, from East Khasi Hills district for making controversial comments on a news broadcast from Guwahati.