Over 40 Eminent Citizens Urge Gauhati High Court to Act Against Assam CM’s Alleged Hate Speech

More than 40 prominent citizens from Assam have petitioned the Gauhati High Court urging it to take suo motu cognisance of what they describe as repeated hate speech and incitement by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma against the state’s Miya community. The petition, addressed to Chief Justice Ashutosh Kumar and signed by intellectuals, academics, lawyers, former bureaucrats and activists, calls for the court to order the registration of a case against the chief minister for statements that they say go beyond political rhetoric and violate constitutional principles.

The signatories argue that Sarma’s remarks, made at public forums, “amount to hate speech, executive intimidation and open vilification” of the Miya community — a Bengali-speaking Muslim group whose ancestors have lived in Assam for more than a century and who have since become part of Assamese society. They claim his comments dehumanise the community, promote collective stigmatisation and could lead to state-sponsored harassment.

Among the concerns highlighted in the petition are statements attributed to Sarma that allegedly encourage discrimination and social exclusion. The group asserts that such rhetoric violates fundamental rights guaranteed under the Constitution and undermines the rule of law and communal harmony in the state. They also warn that failure to act could erode public trust in constitutional safeguards and normalise behaviour that threatens social peace and democratic values.

The appeal underscores the crucial role of the judiciary in safeguarding vulnerable communities and maintaining the constitutional balance between executive authority and individual rights. It urges the high court to intervene before the situation escalates and to ensure that all citizens, regardless of community, are protected from inflammatory and divisive political discourse.

The development has drawn attention from civil society groups and political commentators nationwide, with several organisations also calling for judicial review and broader safeguards against hate speech by public officials in India.