MLA, Journalist, Students Among 19 Held Across Northeast For 'Anti-National' Remarks On Pahalgam Terror Attack

Guwahati: Authorities in the Northeast have arrested at least 19 individuals across Assam, Meghalaya, and Tripura following their controversial remarks on the recent terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed 26 lives. Those arrested include a sitting MLA, a journalist, students, a lawyer, and retired teachers, with most detentions linked to their social media activity.

Maximum Arrests Made In Assam

According to a report by NDTV, Assam accounted for the majority of arrests, with 14 individuals taken into custody as of Friday, April 25. The first to be detained was Aminul Islam, an MLA from the opposition All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), who was booked for sedition after alleging that the Pahalgam attack and the 2019 Pulwama blast were "conspiracies by the government." A court subsequently remanded him to four days of police custody.

Other notable arrests include Md Jabir Hussain, a journalist from Hailakandi; Md AK Bahauddin, a computer science student at Assam University in Silchar; and Md Javed Mazumder, a practicing lawyer, as per the report. Additionally, Md Mahahar Mia from Morigaon and Md Sahil Ali from Sivasagar were arrested. Md Musta Ahmed, also known as Sahel, was held in Karimganj after allegedly posting "Pakistan Zindabad" on Facebook.

Police also apprehended Anil Bania, a student leader from Biswanath, and several others for online comments deemed "anti-India." Cachar district police detained two more individuals for allegedly promoting pro-Pakistan sentiments online.

Reacting to the developments, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said in a statement, "If required, we will impose provisions of the National Security Act on them. We are examining all social media posts, and action will be taken against those who, we feel, are anti-national."

Arrests in Tripura and Meghalaya

In Tripura, four people were arrested, including retired teachers Jawhar Debnath, Kuldip Mandal, and Sajal Chakraborty, for posting alleged "anti-national" comments about the Pahalgam incident. Another man, Jahirul Islam, was detained in Sonamura.

Meanwhile, Meghalaya police arrested 30-year-old Simon Shylla from East Khasi Hills district after he posted a controversial comment related to a news broadcast from Guwahati.