Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday directed the police to register a case against the Sribhumi District Congress Committee (DCC) for singing the Bangladesh national anthem at a party function three days ago.

The Opposition Congress hit back, accusing the government of showing “disrespect” to Bengali culture and “disregard” for Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore, who wrote the song in 1905 as a protest against the partition of Bengal during the British Raj. The song, Amar Sonar Bangla, was later adopted as the national anthem of Bangladesh in 1971.

By Wednesday evening, the case was yet to be registered. A police official told The Telegraph that “procedural steps are underway” but confirmed the chief minister’s directive.

Sources said the move could have political repercussions among the Bengali-speaking population both within and outside Assam, as Tagore’s creation remains deeply linked with Bengali heritage and cultural identity.

After a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Sarma said singing the Bangladesh national anthem instead of India’s at a Congress meeting was “a blatant act of disrespect to the people of India and its national symbols.” He alleged it aligned with “the claim by some in Bangladesh that the Northeast is part of their territory.”

“I have instructed the police to register a case against the Sribhumi DCC. Singing the Bangladesh national anthem is an endorsement of those divisive claims,” Sarma said.

Sribhumi, one of three Bengali-majority districts in southern Assam’s Barak Valley, borders Bangladesh. The area was renamed from Karimganj to Sribhumi last year — a move also linked to Tagore, who had referred to the region as “Sribhumi, the land of Maa Lakshmi.”

Echoing Sarma, Assam cabinet minister Ashok Singhal wrote on X: “Bangladesh’s national anthem sung at a Congress meeting in Sribhumi — the same country that wants to separate the Northeast from India! This exposes how Congress encouraged illegal infiltration for vote-bank politics, aiming for a ‘Greater Bangladesh.’”

Illegal immigration remains one of Assam’s most sensitive issues, frequently invoked in political rhetoric.

The song was performed by Sribhumi Seva Dal leader B.B. Das during a Congress event. Sribhumi DCC president Tapas Purkayastha told The Telegraph that the chief minister “can do whatever he wants,” defending the act as a cultural homage.

“Tagore is our pride. Das did nothing wrong. We often sing this song as a tribute to Gurudev. His creations transcend boundaries,” Purkayastha said.

Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera, in a sharp post on X, asked: “Will the BJP now officially declare Rabindranath Tagore’s Amar Sonar Bangla anti-India?”

Both West Bengal and Assam are scheduled to go to the polls next year, heightening the political significance of the controversy.

Assam Pradesh Congress Committee president Gaurav Gogoi, in a statement released on Wednesday, said: “The song was written by Tagore. It beautifully represents the Barak Valley and the entire Bengali linguistic and cultural heritage. The BJP has once again shown disrespect towards the Bengali language and its people.”

He added: “The BJP has insulted the Bengali community repeatedly. Its IT cell earlier mocked the people of West Bengal. Now it continues to look down upon Bengali culture in Assam. It has dared to disregard Tagore’s ideals and historical legacy. The party uses Bengalis as a vote bank but never seeks to understand their culture or emotions.”

Trinamul Congress MP Mahua Moitra also weighed in, posting on X: “Amar Sonar Bangla is an emotion for all of us Bengalis. Neither saffron chaddis nor their troll media will ever get it!”