Madrassa demolition: Muslims of Assam are true patriots, says CM Himanta Biswa Sarma

GUWAHATI: Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma hailed the Muslims of the state as “patriots” a day after villagers belonging to the religious minority community pulled down a madrassa in Assam's Goalpara district for its alleged links with al-Qaida.
Sarma on Wednesday said, “The madrassas that were demolished were not madrassas, but al-Qaida offices. Two to three madrassas were razed by the administration, and now people, that too belonging to the Muslim community, are pulling them down. They are saying they do not want such madrassas where al-Qaida activities are taking place. Once al-Qaida activities start happening inside a madrassa, its very character changes.”
Reacting to criticisms from All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi over Assam government’s decision to demolish madrassas in the state, Sarma said, “Asaduddin Owaisi can come here and convince the people of Assam to allow the madrassas to operate as al-Qaida offices. The people of the Muslim community in Assam are patriots, and they will not listen to him. Owaisi can try, but he won’t succeed.”
The madrassa at Darogar Alga, Pakhiura Char in Goalpara district that was razed to the ground on Tuesday is the fourth madrassa in the state suspected to have ties with the al-Qaida in the Indian subcontinent. While three madrassas in Bongaigaon, Barpeta and Morigaon districts were demolished by the Assam government last month, the one in Goalpara district was razed by people after they found that one of its teachers has been arrested for alleged links with the terror group and two others are on the run.
Since March, the Assam Police has caught about 40 people, allegedly members of the al-Qaida in the Indian Sub-continent/Ansarullah Bangla Team (AQIS/ABT). Most of them have reportedly been carrying out their activities in the guise of imams or madrassa teachers.