SHILLONG, Dec 24: The BJP in Meghalaya has gone into a damage control mode after a letter of an SP of the Assam Police Special Branch, seeking information on matters including religious conversion and the number of churches in the state, went viral on social media.
Senior state BJP leader AL Hek said he was worried after going through the “notification” and immediately called up the office of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
“The Chief Minister of Assam has completely dissociated (himself) from the letter. He said Assam is a peaceful state and he is not against any particular community or religion. He also said such letters should come from the Home department or the Director General of Police, not from an SP,” Hek said. He said the letter may not be authentic. When it was not issued by the government, it means it is not authentic, he said.
“We have general elections in three states of the Northeast – Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya – and clearly, we have seen in 2018, how videos and photos, dating back to many years, were used against the party just before the elections as false propaganda by the rival parties as they cannot stand the growth of BJP in Meghalaya and other Northeastern states,” the BJP legislator said to a query.
State BJP spokesperson HM Shangpliang said after the letter had gone viral, he spoke to certain leaders of Assam and the Assam CM. He said he was happy that Sarma issued a clarification.
Shangpliang said the Assam CM outright rejected any letter coming out under his (Sarma’s) or the Home department’s instructions.
“The Assam CM in his statement to the press has mentioned that this particular instruction or order of the Special Branch SP is being inquired into by the DGP,” the state BJP spokesperson said.
According to him, Sarma was surprised to see the order coming from the level of the SP. He was unaware as to why such instructions and a survey were ordered, Shangpliang said.
“He (Sarma) also mentioned that all religious communities in Assam would like to stay in absolute harmony and maintain peace. Therefore, I think the people in our state should not be worried about it as this instruction of the SP has been withdrawn after the Assam CM’s order,” Shangpliang added.
Talking to a news channel on Saturday, Sarma “completely dissociated” himself from the SP’s letter. He said he was neither informed of the letter’s content nor was the matter discussed at a government forum.
