The Assam Assembly on Wednesday passed a resolution against the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) for releasing and producing the controversial two-part documentary ‘India: The Modi Question’ which questions Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s role in the infamous 2002 Godhra riots and his effect in rise of militant Hindu nationalism in India.

BJP legislator Bhubon Pegu raised the issue through Private Members’ Resolution, claiming that the UK national broadcaster has challenged India’s democratically elected government, judiciary and free press via its “malicious” agenda-driven two-part documentary.

The BJP MLA, while calling the 2002 Gujarat riots as a “spontaneous reaction” to the Godhra train burning, alleged that the “calculated” timing of the contentious documentary revealed it was a deliberate attempt at tarnishing the image of PM Modi and India at a time when G20 meetings are being organized in the country under India’s presidency.

Pegu claimed that BBC cannot “digest” the fact that India has surpassed the UK to become the world’s fifth largest economy and as was trying to defame India, adding that an “international conspiracy” is also being orchestrated against India.

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The saffron party MLA demanded “strictest possible” action against the BBC for its “malicious and dangerous agenda to instigate religious communities and flare religious tension” by airing the documentary.

The resolution was supported by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma who pointed out that that the Supreme Court had given a clean chit to PM Modi after carefully examining all aspects of the 2002 Gujarat riots.

The resolution was opposed by CPI(M) MLA Manoranjan Talukdar who said that the topic of the resolution doesn’t have anything to do with Assam as none of them have even watched the documentary film. He asked if MLA Pegu had watched it and if other members of the assembly could also screen it with the BJP leader.

Talukdar was supported by the Opposition members who then raised a demand to screen the documentary in the House before the resolution could be discussed.

Congress MLA Sherman Ali Ahmed, Independent member Akhil Gogoi and AIUDF legislator Karim Uddin Barbhuiya demanded that Speaker Biswajit Daimary allow screening the piece to understand its content and then have a discussion on the resolution.

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The Assam government on Sunday suspended the IAS officer Sewali Devi Sharma in connection with the alleged financial irregularities and misappropriation of funds. Sharma was working as a secretary to the Assam government’s Agriculture Department.

As per the official notification, Sewali Devi Sharma opened five bank accounts without the approval of the Assam government during her tenure as the Executive cum Director of the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT).

It was also reported that FRBM rules were not followed in respect of those five bank accounts. The notification further stated that a report of enquiry on the functioning of ODL under SCERT found financial irregularities and very credible references to the misappropriation of funds.

The Joint Secretary of the Assam Government signed the notification stating that Sharma has been suspended from the post of Secretary of Assam’s Agriculture Department with immediate effect. Sewali Devi Sharma’s suspension is placed under rule 3(1) of the All India Services (Disciple and Appeal) Rules, 1969.

The Assam government has also suspended Assam Civil Service (ACS) officers for alleged financial irregularities in the execution of projects under the MP Local Area Development Fund.

The officers who are suspended are Assam’s Home and Political Department Secretary Sharmistha Borah, Additional Commissioner of Kamrup Metropolitan Sukandya Borah, Hemanta Kumar Dutta, Tinsukia Zila Parishad CEO Munindra Bordoloi. According to the reports, all the accused have been placed under immediate suspension, pending the drawal of departmental proceedings.

The report stated that Rs 28 lakhs were allocated from the Rajya Sabha MP Ajit Kumar Bhuyan’s MPLAD Fund for the construction of three roads in Barpeta, however, no roads were constructed and the funds that were allocated were withdrawn by submitting fake road construction bills.

Amid the uproar over the contentious crackdown against child marriages in Assam, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Saram, Wednesday, claimed that his regime ensured that almost an equal number of Hindus and Muslims were arrested in last month’s clampdown to fears that the action was not deemed communal in nature.

Speaking during his reply to a discussion on Vote of Thanks on the Governor’s speech in Assam Assembly’s Budget session, Sarma fired shots at the Opposition saying “I got some of our people pickup up too because you all feel bad”, while also revealing that the ratio of arrests of Muslims to Hindus since the February 3 crackdown is 55:45.

The chief minister said that such crackdowns will be repeated every six months to ensure that child marriage is eradicated in the state by 2026.

Taking more shots at the opposition, Sarma said that “some people are weeping for criminals” for not feeling the pain and anguish of 11-year-old girls who are forced into marriages and impregnated.

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CM Sarma claimed that according to the data provided by NFHS 5 (National Family Health Survey), child marriages are mostly prevalent in Muslim-majority districts Dhubri and South Salmara and not in Dibrugarh and Tinsukia (Hindu-majority areas).

Sarma claimed that since opposition puts communal shades on his every decision, he asked the Dibrugarh Superintendent of Police “to pick up a few from there as well.”

He said the NFHS 5 data is corroborated by the NFHS 4 data which was collected during the Congress rule in the state, and like its successor, shows that the highest of underage marriages and childbirths are prevalent in lower Assam districts which has a higher Muslim population.

The Himanta Biswa Sarma led BJP regime’s decision to prosecute child marriages under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 (PCMA) and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 (POCSO), has sparked a row in the northeastern state.

Opposition parties, led by the Congress have accused Sarma’s government of “terrorizing minorities” by slapping POCSO on those accused of marrying underage girls. Leader of the Opposition Debabrata Saikia had said slapping of POCSO and rape cases on child marriage accused have created disturbances in the society with many old people getting arrested.

In a query by Independent MLA Akhil Gogoi, the Sarma informed the assembly that 4,111 incidents of child marriage took place in the state from April 2021 to February 2023.

He said that a total of 4,670 cases have been registered against 7,142 accused, adding that 3,483 persons have been arrested, of which 1,182 are in jail, 2,253 have got bail and notices have been issued to 48 others.

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