AIMPLB seeks Supreme Court intervention over Assam CM’s remarks on Bengali-speaking Muslims
New Delhi: The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) has criticised Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for his recent remarks directed at Bengali-speaking Muslims, commonly known as Miyas, describing the comments as unconstitutional, divisive and a threat to social harmony. The board has urged the Supreme Court to take suo motu cognisance of the matter and appealed to President Droupadi Murmu to consider appropriate constitutional action.
In a statement issued on Friday, AIMPLB spokesperson Dr SQR Ilyas said the remarks reflected a disturbing shift in public discourse, where hate speech against Muslims is no longer confined to fringe elements but is being articulated by individuals occupying high constitutional positions, as reported by The Observer Post. He said statements made by those sworn to uphold the Constitution undermine its core values and embolden discrimination.
The board’s response followed comments reportedly made by Sarma at a government event in Assam, where he referred to “Bangladeshi Miyas” and claimed that BJP workers had submitted more than five lakh objections during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, targeting people suspected to be foreigners. According to the AIMPLB, such remarks legitimise the targeting of a particular religious and linguistic community through administrative and electoral processes.
Dr Ilyas said the statements amounted to an open encouragement to question the citizenship of Muslims and expose them to social and economic exclusion. He argued that such rhetoric violates constitutional guarantees of equality, non-discrimination and the right to life with dignity under Articles 14, 15 and 21.
The AIMPLB also expressed concern over the role of constitutional institutions, warning that public confidence in free and fair elections would erode if bodies like the Election Commission fail to act independently. The board said a chief minister’s call to use electoral mechanisms against a religious group represents a serious breach of constitutional responsibility.
Pointing to similar remarks made by political leaders in other states in the past, the board said the episode reflects a broader pattern of normalising hate speech against minorities. It described the situation as a critical moment for India’s constitutional framework and called upon secular political parties, civil society organisations and citizens to speak out.
The AIMPLB also appealed to Muslims in Assam to remain calm and avoid provocation. The statement further urged them to respond through lawful and constitutional means.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Rajnath to top commanders: Outmaneuver adversaries with strategic surprise
Jaipur/New Delhi (PTI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday directed the top military commanders of the three services to integrate an "element of surprise" into modern warfare to outmaneuver India's adversaries and bolster strategic posture.
In his address at the joint commanders conference in Jaipur, Singh also described the Operation Sindoor as a testament to the "swift, precise, and joint response" of the Indian armed forces to safeguard national interests and called upon the military to remain ready to deal with any security challenges.
In their two-day deliberations, the commanders carried out a comprehensive review of the combat preparedness of the military in the wake of the evolving regional security situation.
Operation Sindoor was a demonstration of India's growing capabilities and a symbol of the nation's collective resolve and new military ethos, Singh said, a day after the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor.
He also unveiled a 'Joint Doctrine for Integrated Communication Architecture' that is aimed at strengthening doctrinal clarity, interoperability and integrated communications across the armed forces in future multidomain operations.
The joint commanders' conference, themed 'Military Capability in New Domains', brought together the top leadership of the defence ministry and the three services to deliberate on emerging security challenges and future readiness.
Comprehensive deliberations were held on future warfare, multidomain operations, technological transformation and joint capability development.
The conference witnessed extensive discussions on cognitive warfare, cyber resilience against evolving quantum and AI-enabled threats, military capability development in emerging domains, indigenous innovation and AI-enabled warfighting concepts.
It was attended by Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi, Chief of the Army Staff Gen Upendra Dwivedi, Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal AP Singh and Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh among others.
In his remarks, Singh asked the commanders to remain "future-ready" by learning from the operation as well as the current global security landscape.
He underscored the need to strengthen capabilities in artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, data analytics and secure communication networks to stay prepared in the rapidly evolving geopolitical security scenario. He emphasised that future conflicts will increasingly be shaped by hybrid threats, information dominance and operations conducted simultaneously across cyber, space, electromagnetic and cognitive domains, according to an official readout.
Highlighting the transformative impact of emerging technologies, Singh stressed on the importance of ensuring integrated national preparedness across all spectrums of conflict, it said.
Singh's remarks at the conference came a day after the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor.
The defence minister appreciated the progress achieved in enhancing jointness, integration and technological adoption across the three services, the readout noted.
Singh said that jointness constitutes a pivotal dimension within the transformative changes sweeping across the global defence sector.
"Future wars will not be won solely through weaponry, but through innovative thinking and enhanced synergy," he said.
The defence minister exhorted the commanders to cultivate the "element of surprise" to remain unpredictable to the nation's adversaries and secure a strategic edge in any given situation.
He, however, urged them to remain vigilant of the element of surprise of the enemy and always stay two steps ahead.
Singh also reiterated the Narendra Modi government's commitment to enhancing the capabilities of the defence forces through state-of-the-art weapons and platforms. He added that special focus is being laid on research in niche domains.
During the conference, he released a documentary film on Operation Sindoor.
The film reaffirms the nation's and defence forces' commitment to operational preparedness and decisive national response capabilities.
Demonstrations of advanced systems and platforms developed for intelligence fusion, operational planning and information management were also showcased during the conference reflecting growing integration of cutting-edge technologies into joint operational structures, according to the defence ministry.
The discussions will contribute significantly towards shaping India's future military transformation and integrated operational preparedness, it said.
