Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced on December 25 that a total of 53 “jihadis” had been captured by the Assam Police this year including a citizen of Bangladesh.
On the final day of the winter session of the Assam Assembly, Sarma responded to a question from BJP MLA Terash Gowala by stating that since March of this year, a total of nine cases have been filed in seven districts throughout the state: Bongaigaon, Morigaon, Dhubri, Barpeta, Goalpara, Tamulpur and Nalbari.
”These seven districts have been the sources of alleged ‘jihadi’ activities in Assam,” he added.
He further disclosed that a Bangladeshi national named Saiful Islam, also known by the aliases Haroon Rashid and Suman, had been detained in connection with a case that had been reported to the Barpeta police station.
”He was involved as an ‘imam’ of a mosque in the Barpeta district and was also working as an Arabic teacher in an Islamic academy there. He was distributing booklets related to jihadis and was encouraging Muslims to get involved in ‘Jihadi’ activities through his speeches,” Sarma said.
The Assam CM added that five further individuals are allegedly committing acts of ‘jihad’ while on the run and giving talks to Muslim youths in various mosques around the districts.
In addition, two women from the districts of Morigaon and Dhubri have been arrested for their alleged participation in “Jihadi” activities.
In another response, Assam added that from January 2021 to November of this year, the state had drug seizures of Rs. 1,118.86 crore.
”From January 2021 to November 2022, a huge quantity of contraband drugs worth Rs 118.86 crore have been seized in the state and a total of 8,280 persons have been arrested across the state in connection with this,” Sarma added.
As per the Assam CM, during the period, 168.925 kg of heroin worth Rs 337.85 crore, 64,693.334 kg of ganja worth Rs 323.46 crore, 75,18,776 numbers of tablets worth Rs 375.93 crore, 3,67,912 bottles of cough syrup, 11.874 kg of morphine, 287.32 kg of opium, 17.70 kg of methamphetamine, 0.31 kg of cocaine, 213.935 kg of the cannabis plant, 0.563 kg of tramadol, 3316.8 kg of poppy straw and 10 kg of raw opium bud have been seized in the state.