GUWAHATI: The Bangla Sahitya Sabha of Assam (BSSA) apologised on Tuesday after receiving harsh criticism for its decision to rip Assamese and Bengali "gamosas" (scarves) in half and sew them back together to welcome guests.
The BSSA said that the idea was adapted from a similarly constructed scarf that was worn by another organisation more than a year ago without causing any concern at the time. At its first state-level meeting, which was held here on Sunday, the organisation used the stitched scarves to honour attendees.
Ranoj Pegu, the state's education minister, was prominent among the attendees. The scarf has two halves: a Bengali community-styled red-and-white checked design on one side and an Assamese "gamosa" with a red border on a white fabric on the other.
Khagen Chandra Das, the working president of the BSSA, and Prasanta Chakraborty, the general secretary, said in a statement, "We had accepted this idea as symbolic of unity between Barak and Brahmaputra valleys. Yet, some residents of the state do not agree with this idea. We apologise for accidentally offending anyone's feelings, and we will exercise greater caution going forward to prevent any similar occurrences from happening again," they continued.
The BSSA asserted that they had adapted the concept of the special stitched scarf from one that was worn by dignitaries to honour them during a programme in Silchar by another organisation around one and a half years prior.
Members of the BSSA's reception subcommittee had seen images from the Silchar event posted on social media, in which a minister was also seen smiling while accepting the scarf. The BSSA statement noted that while there was no controversy back then, there are now strong reactions to it and said that it hoped the problem would go away while issuing an apology.
Several criticised the event, saying it was an insult to the Assamese "gamosa" and that such actions will further the division, despite the organisers' claims that it was done to symbolise unity between the two groups.
On Monday, groups like the All Assam Moran Students Union, Bir Lachit Sena, and Jatiya Yuba Shakti—the youth wing of the Assam Jatiya Parishad—held protests against the act in a number of locations throughout the state, including Guwahati, Nagaon, Dibrugarh, Golaghat, and Bongaigaon.
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