In Cachar district, Assam Police detained a retired school principal on Tuesday following a social media comment that allegedly linked the recent Delhi Red Fort blast to the upcoming elections. Nazrul Islam Barbhuiyan, a former principal of Banskandi NMHS School residing in Durgapur, made the comment “Election is coming” on Facebook just a day after the blast, which resulted in the deaths of 13 people.
Cachar Assistant Superintendent of Police (Crime) Rajat Kumar Pal confirmed the detention, stating that Barbhuiyan had “tried to give a political angle” to a sensitive incident. He emphasized that such remarks could foster divisions among different communities and increase the likelihood of communal incidents. The police’s social media monitoring unit was alerted to Barbhuiyan’s comment, prompting his detention and subsequent questioning about his intentions.
Cachar Senior Superintendent of Police Partha Protim Das described the remark as “inappropriate given the gravity of the national security situation,” affirming that the motive behind the comment was under investigation. The detention occurred shortly after Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced the government’s intention to intensify a crackdown on social media misuse, a campaign initially launched in response to an April attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir.
Sarma remarked that following the news of the Delhi bomb blast, members of a particular community allegedly began to make jokes about the incident, accompanied by “ha ha” emojis. He labeled these individuals as “terrorist supporters” and stated that police efforts are focused on apprehending them.
Additionally, the Chief Minister indicated that authorities are investigating the backgrounds of such social media users, with possible arrests pending if necessary. In connection with the Delhi blast, Assam Police have already arrested five Muslim men for allegedly spreading offensive and inflammatory online content. The individuals arrested are identified as Mattiur Rahman from Darrang, Hassan Ali Mondal from Goalpara, Abdul Latif from Chirang, Wajhul Kamal from Kamrup, and Nur Amin Ahmed from Bongaigaon.
Since the Pahalgam attack, over 90 Muslims have been detained under Assam’s social media monitoring initiative, a move criticized by various rights groups and local residents for allegedly targeting Muslim youth.
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