Nalbari: The Assam Police has arrested three persons in connection with a private Miya Museum dedicated to the Miya Muslim community in Goalpara district on allegations of wrongful use of the premises. The Police also suspected their links with the Bangladeshi terrorist organization Ansarullah Bangla Team and Al-Qaeda, the officials said.
The arrested persons have been identified as Mohar Ali, a resident of Goalpara and Abdul Baten of Dhubri and Tanu Dhadumia.
A case has been registered under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
The Nalbari district police on Wednesday produced the arrested accused persons before the court in Nalbari.
The Special Director General of Assam Police Mr. GP Singh IPS took to Twitter and said that the two leaders will be questioned about their links with activities of terrorist outfits Ansarullah Bangla Team and Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent.
A private Miya Museum was recently inaugurated by Miya Parishat at the Dapkarbhita Lakhipur area in Assam’s Goalpara district.
Notably, the district administration sealed the Miya museum on Tuesday, inaugurated a few days back, citing that the museum was opened in a PMAY house.
In 2020, the expelled Congress MLA Sherman Ali Ahmed sent a letter to the Director of the Museum and stated that one Museum, reflecting the culture and heritage of the people living in Char-Chaporis of Assam on the premises of Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra, Guwahati was recommended by Departmentally Related Standing Committee on Education, 2020-21 in its 47th report on Art and Culture.
Those who are living in Char-Chaporis (riverine islands) of Brahmaputra are mostly Bengali-speaking Muslims and locals call them Miya.
Rajib Gogoi, Circle Officer of Goalpara district, said that, as per the direction of the Deputy Commissioner of Goalpara district, we have sealed the PMAY-G house.
“The Miya Museum was opened in the PMAY house,” the Circle Officer said.
The Miya community in Assam comprises descendants of Muslim migrants from East Bengal (now Bangladesh) to Assam.
The riverine areas (island) of the river Brahmaputra, locally known as Char-Chapori, cover about 3.60 lakh hectares of land and the chars follow a peculiar pattern of migration.
