Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said five persons from five districts of the state have been arrested for allegedly spreading “offensive and inflammatory content” online in connection with Monday’s blast in Delhi that killed 12 people.
Sarma announced the arrests on X, saying the Assam police had acted swiftly against those attempting to glorify the incident on social media. The arrested individuals were 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.
“Assam Police will continue to act swiftly and firmly against anyone misusing social media to spread hatred or glorify terror,” Sarma posted, tagging the Assam Police handle.
Earlier, addressing reporters, the chief minister said 34 individuals had been identified across 16 districts of Assam for social media activities linked to the blast. “They have been arrested for welcoming the Delhi blast instead of condemning it,” Sarma said. He warned that more arrests were likely, especially among those with suspected extremist links to Bangladesh or other countries.
The identified individuals include five from Kamrup, four from Barpeta, three each from Bongaigaon, Darrang and Nagaon, two each from Sonitpur, Golaghat, Goalpara, Hojai and South Salmara, and one each from Tamulpur, Karbi Anglong, Baksa, Jorhat, Kamrup (Metro) and Cachar.
Sarma also cautioned against assuming education was a safeguard against radicalisation, referring to reports that doctors might have been involved in the Delhi blast. “We were taught that education eradicates extremism, but you can see if educated, they become even more dangerous. If they become doctors, they become more dangerous still,” he said. “Those who do not sing Vande Mataram cannot truly belong to India.”
Preliminary findings from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe indicate that the explosive-laden car that went off near the Red Fort was driven by Dr Umar Mohammed Nabi, who is suspected to have died in the explosion. Reports suggest Nabi was part of a white-collar terror module that included three other doctors allegedly controlled by Pakistan-based handlers linked to the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM).
“Education alone does not change one’s mindset. If their thinking is flawed, they will use their knowledge to make more bombs,” Sarma said. adding that we must “learn from Pahalgam and Delhi”.