Ready to go to jail: Assam CM after Owaisi's complaint over 'point-blank' video
The now-deleted video allegedly showed Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma pointing an air gun, purportedly interspersed with AI-generated visuals of a bullet striking an image of two men wearing skull caps.
AIMIM chief Assaduddin Owaisi has filed a complaint against Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma over the now-deleted 'point blank shot' video, demanding criminal action against him. The video allegedly showed Sarma pointing an air gun at a framed image of Muslims.
"I have lodged an official complaint demanding criminal action against Himanta Sarma for his (now deleted) violent video showing him shooting Muslims. Unfortunately, genocidal hate speech has become a norm," he said on X.
In his complaint, the Lok Sabha MP accused Sarma of "deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage the religious feelings of Muslims", of promoting enmity between two religious communities, and making imputations prejudicial to national integration.
Reacting to the complaint, the Assam CM said he has no knowledge of any such video and said that he stands by his words.
"I am ready to go to jail, what can I do? I do not know anything about any video. If he has filed a case against me, arrest me; what objection do I have? I have no objection. But I stand by my words, I am against Bangladeshi infiltrators and I will continue to be against them," Sarma said.
HOW THE CONTROVERSY UNFOLDED
The controversy stems from a video that was briefly posted on the official social media handle of the Bharatiya Janata Party's Assam unit. It purportedly depicted Sarma taking aim using an air gun.
While that part seemed to be from a real-life clip, the rest of the video featured scenes generated using artificial intelligence. The video was allegedly posted with the caption "Point blank shot".
The now-deleted social media edit was allegedly stitched and interspersed with AI-generated visuals showing two men wearing skull caps – a clear marker of Muslim identity – as the target.
An animated bullet was purportedly shown cutting through the air, with several shots hitting a framed picture of the duo. A message saying "No mercy" allegedly appeared above the image.
Moreover, text flashing across the screen purportedly read "foreigner free Assam", alongside other phrases that critics described as overtly communal.
The video was taken down as a huge political backlash and allegations of incitement to violence started mounting.
In some frames, Sarma was portrayed as a cowboy, while embedded text in Assamese reportedly read, "Why did you not go to Pakistan?" and "There is no forgiveness to Bangladeshis."
The post came amid an atmosphere of increasingly tense political discourse in Assam over rhetoric targeting Bengali-origin Muslims.
PIL AGAINST HATE SPEECH NAMES HIMANTA
On Monday, a petition was filed by a group of social activists and prominent personalities against what they described as "incitement of hatred" and irresponsible statements by high constitutional functionaries.
The plea cited allegedly anti-Muslim statements, attributing them to Sarma, other senior ministers and governors of various states. Activist John Dayal and former lieutenant governor of Delhi, Najeeb Jung, are among the dozen people who moved the petition.
AIMIM chief Assaduddin Owaisi has filed a complaint against Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma over the now-deleted 'point blank shot' video, demanding criminal action against him. The video allegedly showed Sarma pointing an air gun at a framed image of Muslims.
"I have lodged an official complaint demanding criminal action against Himanta Sarma for his (now deleted) violent video showing him shooting Muslims. Unfortunately, genocidal hate speech has become a norm," he said on X.
In his complaint, the Lok Sabha MP accused Sarma of "deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage the religious feelings of Muslims", of promoting enmity between two religious communities, and making imputations prejudicial to national integration.
Reacting to the complaint, the Assam CM said he has no knowledge of any such video and said that he stands by his words.
"I am ready to go to jail, what can I do? I do not know anything about any video. If he has filed a case against me, arrest me; what objection do I have? I have no objection. But I stand by my words, I am against Bangladeshi infiltrators and I will continue to be against them," Sarma said.
HOW THE CONTROVERSY UNFOLDED
The controversy stems from a video that was briefly posted on the official social media handle of the Bharatiya Janata Party's Assam unit. It purportedly depicted Sarma taking aim using an air gun.
While that part seemed to be from a real-life clip, the rest of the video featured scenes generated using artificial intelligence. The video was allegedly posted with the caption "Point blank shot".
The now-deleted social media edit was allegedly stitched and interspersed with AI-generated visuals showing two men wearing skull caps – a clear marker of Muslim identity – as the target.
An animated bullet was purportedly shown cutting through the air, with several shots hitting a framed picture of the duo. A message saying "No mercy" allegedly appeared above the image.
Moreover, text flashing across the screen purportedly read "foreigner free Assam", alongside other phrases that critics described as overtly communal.
The video was taken down as a huge political backlash and allegations of incitement to violence started mounting.
In some frames, Sarma was portrayed as a cowboy, while embedded text in Assamese reportedly read, "Why did you not go to Pakistan?" and "There is no forgiveness to Bangladeshis."
The post came amid an atmosphere of increasingly tense political discourse in Assam over rhetoric targeting Bengali-origin Muslims.
PIL AGAINST HATE SPEECH NAMES HIMANTA
On Monday, a petition was filed by a group of social activists and prominent personalities against what they described as "incitement of hatred" and irresponsible statements by high constitutional functionaries.
The plea cited allegedly anti-Muslim statements, attributing them to Sarma, other senior ministers and governors of various states. Activist John Dayal and former lieutenant governor of Delhi, Najeeb Jung, are among the dozen people who moved the petition.