Assam CM Sarma at centre of row over BJP video depicting him 'shooting' minorities

A now-deleted video posted on the official social media account of the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Assam unit has sparked widespread criticism and allegations of promotion of violence, with none other than the state's chief minister at the centre stage.

The short clip, titled 'Point blank shot...', showed Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma symbolically pointing a gun at two persons from the minority community (one report even said one of the duo was the Congress's state president, Gaurav Gogoi, depicted wearing a skull cap) and firing at point-blank range.

Also read: Congress to focus on local issues in Assam after Bihar vote chori debacle

The video appeared to have a combination of real footage of Sarma handling an air rifle with AI-generated visuals showing bullets hitting images of the two men, in a skull cap and with a henna-dyed beard, respectively.

The clip lasting 17 seconds also showed pictures of Sarma wearing cowboy attire and pointing a pistol, and texts such as “Foreigner free Assam”, “No excuse for Bangladeshis”, and “Why did he go to Pakistan?” in Assamese language and “No mercy” in English. Critics said the act, pictures and words carried clear communal overtones.

'No hope from PM to condemn'

The Congress, terming the video as "deeply abhorrent and disturbing", condemned it and said it could not be dismissed just as a troll video.

Also read: Rising religious violence signals collapse of moral restraint in India and South Asia

The Grand Old Party, which seeks to topple Sarma from power in the upcoming elections in the northeastern state, came up with a long statement condemning the video. It expressed little hope about Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemning it and seeking accountability, and urged the judiciary to step in. The Congress also sought strict action in the matter.

The BJP's official Assam Pradesh handle posted a video that appears to glorify the targeted, 'point-blank' murder of minorities.

It is deeply abhorrent and disturbing and cannot be dismissed as random troll content. This amounts to a call to mass violence and genocide.

It is a… pic.twitter.com/FrC1QwZicV

— Congress (@INCIndia) February 8, 2026

"The BJP's official Assam Pradesh handle posted a video that appears to glorify the targeted, 'point-blank' murder of minorities. It is deeply abhorrent and disturbing and cannot be dismissed as random troll content. This amounts to a call to mass violence and genocide.

"It is a reflection of the true face of this fascist regime, which has harboured this hatred for decades and, in the last 11 years, tried to normalise it. Considering the gravity of the matter, there must be strict action against this act of spreading disharmony and poison in society.

"It is clear there can be no hope from the Prime Minister to condemn and ensure accountability for this. However, the judiciary must step in firmly."

'Deletion not enough'

Reacting to the video, senior Congress leaders K C Venugopal and Supriya Shrinate said it was not enough to just delete the video and demanded strict action without leniency.

Also read: Assam's normalisation of hate can steadily erode the very idea of India

Trinamool Congress MP Sagarika Ghose said in a post on X that the BJP's Assam unit had committed a UAPA (Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act) offence and engaged in "clear incitement to violence" which attracts provisions 152, 156 and 192 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The journalist-parliamentarian also called for exemplary punishment.

Sarma's 'Miya hatred'

Chief Minister Sarma, who was once in the Congress and is eyeing the BJP's third successive term in power and his own second straight chief ministership this year, has been targeting the "Miya Muslims" and openly seeking their ouster from the state, which is located in a sensitive region bordering Bangladesh.

Assam's Bengali-speaking Muslims are often called 'Miyas' and labelled as "illegal infiltrators" by the BJP as it seeks to consolidate the Hindu votes ahead of the polls.

"Trouble the Miya Muslims by any means. If they face trouble, they will go from Assam. If I want to give trouble to Miya, I go at 12 am. It's not an issue. We are directly against the Miya Muslims. We are not hiding anything; we directly say that we are against Miyas," the chief minister recently said at an event in Guwahati, triggering a controversy.