AJP candidate Kunki Chowdhury’s mother, Sujata Gurung Chowdhury, has moved the National Commission for Women (NCW) seeking “legal action” against Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, alleging he made “false, defamatory, and misleading statements” against her while campaigning for the April 9 Assembly polls in the state.
In a letter to the NCW chairperson on April 11, Sujata claimed that she has “no active involvement in electoral politics” but has been drawn into public discourse solely because her daughter, a debutante, is contesting the elections from the Guwahati Central constituency.
Sujata then dismissed all of Sarma’s allegations against her — including that her social media activities were “hurting” the sentiments of the Sanatani people, that she “harbours” sympathies for Pakistan, that she “supports anti-national” individuals and that she “publicly consumed” beef.
“These statements are completely false, baseless, and malicious, and appear to have been made with the intent to defame me and politically target my daughter,” she said.
Sujata claimed that the photograph displayed by Sarma before journalists showing her “consuming beef” was an image taken at The International Church of Cannabis, located in Denver (Colorado, the US).
“The object in the image is an artistic prop shaped like a conical cylinder and not any form of food. The allegation that I was “eating beef” is factually incorrect and deliberately misleading. Such claims are deeply offensive and damaging to my personal reputation,” she stated.
Sujata has attached a clarification issued by Steve Berke, a founding member of the Denver church, along with the photograph displayed by Sarma in her complaint.
Berke’s letter states: “The item that she is putting up to her lips is a pillow, not any type of meat. This is a pillow designed for visitors of our museum to take pictures with at the entrance to our museum. Should you have any other questions, please feel free to write to me at steve@elevationists.org...”
Sujata said that following Sarma’s allegations, her personal photographs — including those with her minor son — are being widely circulated on social media without consent. She claimed that she has been “subjected to online abuse, harassment, and character assassination” and that several unidentified individuals and social media handles “have circulated manipulated images and AI-generated content to malign my (Sujata’s) dignity”.
Sujata has requested the commission to take immediate cognisance of the matter; direct appropriate authorities to investigate the defamatory statements and online harassment; ensure removal of defamatory, manipulated, and harmful content from social media platforms; “recommend appropriate legal action against Sarma for inciting all the above due to his fake propaganda and malicious intent” and provide necessary protection “to safeguard my dignity and my minor child’s privacy”.
In the run-up to the polls on April 9, chief minister Sarma continued to flag the beef consumption charge and question why AJP fielded Kunki.
An FIR was lodged against the Opposition alliance candidate and her social media head Sandeep Yadav for alleged violations of the model code of conduct, a charge denied by Kunki, just after voting ended on April 9. She was summoned for questioning in connection with the FIR the next day.
Kunki, 27, challenged BJP veteran Vijay Kumar Gupta in the Guwahati Central constituency. She had earlier lodged a complaint with Panbazar police on April 4 over “defamatory AI-generated deepfake videos targeting her and her family, including her mother”. The status of the complaint is not known.