Assam University apologises for showing Muslims as criminals

March 20, 2024 06:00 pm | Updated 06:00 pm IST - GUWAHATI

GUWAHATI

The authorities of western Assam’s Bodoland University have apologised for allegedly depicting Muslims as criminals during a cultural rally organised on March 16.

The apology from the university’s Vice-Chancellor, Babulal Ahuja followed a meeting with leaders of the All BTR Minority Students’ Union (ABMSU) on March 18. BTR expands to Bodoland Territorial Region.

Representatives of the All Assam Minority Students’ Union held a separate meeting with the Vice-Chancellor later.

The ABMSU leaders submitted a memorandum to Dr. Ahuja, seeking a thorough probe into the incident and disciplinary action against those involved in showing Muslims in poor light.

According to a university spokesperson, the Department of Geography organised a cultural event themed ‘We and our society’ during the 23rd university week celebrations. In a viral video that captured a part of a stage act during the event, two men were shown with beards and skull caps and with their hands bound.

Another person dressed as a policeman was shown walking behind them and beating them up.

“The Vice-Chancellor apologised to us on behalf of the university and said such events will not be repeated. We sought action against the people who conceived the show,” Taison Hussain, president of ABMSU, told The Hindu on Wednesday.

He said the Bodoland University Students’ Union (BUSU) and the Department of Geography also apologised for the “objectionable portrayal” of Muslims.

In a statement, BUSU general secretary Nerswn Narzary said that an inter-departmental cultural rally competition was organised on the concluding day of the ‘University Week’. The objective was to highlight the social fabric in the region and showcase the ingenuity of the students.

“It is imperative to clarify that our intent was solely to shed light on the prevailing social dynamics without any prejudice or bias towards any particular community,” he said.

Muslims across BTR, mostly with roots in present day Bangladesh, had borne the brunt of communal violence in several waves between 1993 and 2014, initially when the area was troubled by extremism.