22 arrested in Assam for ‘defending Pakistan’ since Pahalgam attack: CM Himanta

Guwahati: At least 22 people have been arrested in Assam so far for "defending Pakistan on Indian soil" following the Pahalgam terror attack, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Monday.

Sharing the update on X, Sarma said, "22 traitors arrested till now." Till Sunday night, the number of arrests stood at 19.

Among those apprehended is opposition AIUDF MLA Aminul Islam, who was booked on sedition charges for allegedly defending Pakistan and its complicity in the Pahalgam attack.

On Saturday, Sarma had said that if required, provisions of the National Security Act would be imposed on the arrested.

"There are no similarities between Bharat and Pakistan. The two countries are enemy nations and we must remain like that," he had told reporters.

At least 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed after terrorists struck Baisaran, a tourist location in Pahalgam in south Kashmir, on April 22.