Eight individuals were arrested in a single day in the northeastern Indian state of Assam for making pro-Pakistan remarks on social media following the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam, located in Jammu and Kashmir. They were detained in operations conducted across various districts of the state.
The information was shared in a post on social media platform X by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. He also disclosed the names and districts of the arrestees. They are: Md. Jabir Hossain (Hailakandi district), M. A. K. Bahauddin (Silchar district), Md. Javed Majumder (Silchar district), Md. Aminul Islam (Nagaon district), Md. Sahil Ali (Sivasagar district), Md. Jarif Ali (Barpeta district), and Anil Bania (Biswanath district).
In his post, the Chief Minister stated, “Assam will not tolerate any kind of direct or indirect support for Pakistan regarding the heinous terrorist attack in Pahalgam. Anyone doing so will face strict legal action.”
Earlier on April 24, two days after the Pahalgam attack, Aminul Islam, an opposition MLA from the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) in Assam’s state assembly, was arrested. In 2019, following the horrific Pulwama terrorist attack that targeted a convoy of India’s paramilitary force CRPF in Kashmir, Aminul Islam had posted a video on social media calling it a “conspiracy by BJP and Prime Minister Modi.” After the April 22 attack in Pahalgam, the old video went viral again, leading to his arrest.
According to state administrative officials, a court ordered his remand to prison on Friday.
On Tuesday, April 22, militants from The Resistance Front, an offshoot of the Kashmir-based terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba, attacked tourists in the Baisaran meadows of Pahalgam district in Jammu and Kashmir.
Armed with automatic rifles, the attackers killed at least 26 tourists by gunfire and injured several others. All those killed were men. The April 22 attack is considered the deadliest in Jammu and Kashmir since the 2019 Pulwama incident.
India has blamed Pakistan for the attack and responded by suspending the Indus Waters Treaty and taking several other measures. In retaliation, Pakistan also imposed multiple restrictions on India, including airspace and land route closures.
Currently, the two hostile South Asian neighbors are experiencing extreme diplomatic tension.