Guwahati, Oct 26: Hours after the Goalpara district administration sealed a ‘miya museum’ set up in a house under the PMAY-G scheme, Assam Police on Wednesday arrested five persons in connection with a case registered at a police station in Nalbari district.
According to a statement issued here, the five accused are Tanu Kumar Dhadumiya of Dibrugarh district, Mahar Ali of Goalpara district and Abdul Baten of Dhubri district, Sadeq Ali of Howly (Barpeta district) and Jekibul Ali of Ghograpar (Nalbari district).
They have been arrested in connection with a case (number 163/22) registered at Ghograpar police station under Sections 120(B)/121/121(A)/122 of IPC, read with Sections 10/13 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
All the five accused were produced in the court and are currently in police custody
Two of them, Sadeq and Jekibul, who were previously arrested by Tamulpur Police, have been taken to five days’ police remand while the other three would be in police remand for two days.
Interrogation of the arrested persons is on to find out whether the arrested persons are associated with terror outfits such as Al Qaeda in Indian Sub-continent (AQIS) and Bangladesh terror outfit, Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), which is affiliated to AQIS.
It May be noted that Dhadumiya is a resident of Kawaimari village under Namrup police station and is reported to have inaugurated the ‘miya museum’ at Dapkarbhita village under Lakhipur revenue circle of Goalpara district last Sunday
Mahar Ali and Abdul Baten are reportedly office-bearers of the All Assam Miya Parishad which took the initiative to open the ‘museum’.
The Parishad claims to have exhibited in the museum items that reflect the culture of the migrant Muslim population in the state.
Countering its claims, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had on Tuesday claimed that the museum in question exhibited traditional items that reflect the culture of the greater Assamese society in general and not just the migrant Muslim community.
The chief minister had also said that the persons responsible for setting up the museum would be interrogated and could even face legal action if they failed to provide a satisfactory explanation.
Within a few hours after the chief minister made the statement, the Goalpara district administration sealed the ‘museum.’
Various sections, including the indigenous Muslim community of the state, have criticised the Parishad’s move to set up such a ‘museum’.
It may be recalled that a couple of years back, former Congress MLA Sherman Ali Ahmed had stirred up a debate when he proposed the setting up of a ‘miya museum’ at Sankardev Kalakshetra here for “highlighting the culture and heritage of people living in the char-chapori (riverine) areas of Assam.
