India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party is facing intense backlash after its Assam state unit shared an artificial intelligence-generated video on social media depicting Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma appearing to shoot at images of Muslim men at point-blank range. The 17-second clip, titled 'point blank shot' and posted on the official BJP Assam account on X, combined original footage of Sarma handling a rifle with AI-generated imagery showing bullets hitting photographs of bearded men wearing religious headwear. The video displayed text reading 'foreigner free Assam' and 'no mercy' before being deleted following widespread outrage, though copies continued to circulate widely across social media platforms.
The video also included provocative captions such as 'why did you not go to Pakistan' and 'there is no forgiveness to Bangladeshis,' language that opposition parties and civil rights groups condemned as explicitly communal and dehumanizing toward the Muslim population of Assam, which constitutes roughly one-third of the state's residents. The clip appeared ahead of state elections expected in March or April 2026, leading critics to accuse the BJP of weaponizing religious identity for electoral gain in an increasingly divisive political environment.
Opposition parties responded with fierce condemnation. Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate characterized the video as reflecting a mass murderer ideology, while Congress MP Imran Pratapgarhi accused the chief minister of attacking the Indian Constitution through systematic anti-Muslim rhetoric. The Trinamool Congress in Assam described the content as theatrical bloodlust and accused the ruling party of normalizing hate speech. Legislator Sagarika Ghosh went further, terming the video a criminal offense that should be prosecuted under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act.
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi lodged an official complaint with Hyderabad City Police on Monday, labeling the video as genocidal hate speech and demanding criminal prosecution. Despite the uproar, Sarma remained defiant, publicly declaring that he was ready for jail and showing no intention of apologizing. Critics noted that this was not an isolated incident, pointing to Sarma's recent call on Assam residents to give Miya Muslims, a derogatory term for Bengali-origin Muslims, a hard time as evidence of a broader pattern of anti-Muslim incitement from the state's highest office.
The controversy has drawn attention to what human rights organizations describe as a systematic pattern of communal targeting within BJP-led states. Observers warn that the combination of AI-generated propaganda, inflammatory rhetoric from elected officials, and the approaching election cycle creates a dangerous environment for religious minorities in Assam and across India. Several commentators have called on the Election Commission to take action and on the judiciary to intervene, though critics note that government silence and judicial delays have historically allowed such incidents to pass without accountability.
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