Suresh Nambath, Suraj Gogoi and Angshuman Chowdhury

A complaint has been filed at Latasil Police Station in Guwahati seeking registration of an FIR against The Hindu editor Suresh Nambath and two scholars, Suraj Gogoi and Angshuman Chowdhury for publication of two articles related to the eviction drive and police action against Muslims in Assam’s Darang district. The complaint has been submitted by four persons including advocate Birajmohan Hazarika.

Suraj Gogoi, a research scholar at the National University of Singapore and resident of Singapore, wrote an article ”The Scorching Rays of Assamese Nationalism” in The Hindu newspaper on September 30. Angshuman Chowdhury, senior researcher at New Delhi’s Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies wrote an article in his blog, which is titled ”On Maynul Haque and Bijoy Bania”.

Gogoi’s article stated how Assamese ”nationalism” played a part in the recent eviction with special reference to photographer Bijoy Bania, who jumped on the dead body of Moinul Haque during the 23 September police action.

”As for Assamese political sadism, the only exit of it is to annihilate language and culture in its current form and interest,” Gogoi had written in the article.

According to the complaint, ”The article also describes the unfortunate death and defiling of the injured protestor Moynul Haque in Gorukhuti as an ‘act of political sadism’.”

”Gogoi calls for the annihilation of the Assamese language and culture. These are serious insults to the entire Assamese community. In this article, the accused has deliberately promoted disharmony, feelings of enmity, hatred and ill,” the complaint said.

Angshuman Chowdhury, in his article ”On Maynul Haque and Bijoy Bania” discussed the various aspects of the 23 brutality.

”Maynal Haque is many things at once. He is the all-weather bahiragata (outsider) in Assam… Maynal, today, is also a national enemy. He is the Muslim that the ruling Hindutva monarchs want to expunge,” he said in the article.

He reportedly compared Bijoy Bania with Assamese national hero – Lachit Borphukan.

”Bijoy is a warrior. A bit like Lachit Borphukan, maybe. He is the MVP [Pravajan Virodhi Mancha] of modern Assamese history, the frontline commander in the Battle of Saraighat. He is the batman of Assamese jatiyatabad,” the complaint said, quoting the article.

After receiving strong reactions from people on social media, he edited the sentence and deleted the word ‘Lachit Borphukan’, according to the complaint.

The complaint said the accused persons are guilty of committing offences under Sections 153, 153-A,153-B, 505, 34 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860. The four persons who have filed the complaint are Akash Kalita, Birajmohan Hazarika, Deepjyiti Kalita and Biman Prashad Borkakoti.

This story first appeared on muslimmirror.com