Asaduddin Owaisi seeks action against Assam CM over ‘point-blank shot’ video

The video allegedly showed Sarma taking aim with a rifle and firing a shot at two individuals—one wearing a skull cap and the other sporting a beard—with the caption 'point-blank shot'.

Hyderabad: AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Monday lodged a complaint with the city police seeking criminal action against Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma over a now-deleted purported video shared on social media.

The video, which was posted by the Assam BJP on 'X' and later removed, allegedly showed Sarma taking aim with a rifle and firing a shot at two individuals—one wearing a skull cap and the other sporting a beard—with the caption "point-blank shot."

In a post on 'X', the Hyderabad MP said, "Unfortunately, genocidal hate speech has become a norm." In his complaint, Owaisi accused Sarma of "deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage the religious feelings of Muslims", promote enmity between the two religious communities, and make imputations prejudicial to national integration.

The AIMIM chief further accused Sarma of continuously making statements over the past several years against the Muslim community through social media, print platforms, public speeches and other forums.

He alleged that in recent months, the chief minister had deliberately intensified his "hate speeches with a clear and conscious intention to outrage the religious feelings of Muslims and promote enmity and hatred between Hindus and Muslims", fully aware that such imputations are prejudicial to national integration and destructive of communal harmony.

Owaisi said the recent purported video posted on the 'X' handle of the BJP’s Assam unit on February 7—which was taken down a day later but continues to circulate on social media—depicts Sarma being portrayed as armed with a firearm and aiming it at persons "clearly depicted as Muslims", before shooting at them.

"The said post and video, along with the imagery used and phrases such as ‘point-blank shot’ and ‘no mercy’, constitute a deliberate and malicious act intended to outrage the religious feelings of Muslims, promote hatred and ill-will between religious communities, and incite communal violence," Owaisi said, seeking legal action against Sarma in accordance with the law.