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GUWAHATI: A Bengali Muslim Youtube singer was charged with distorting a Bihu song, leading to his arrest in western Assam's Dhubri district.
His apprehension prompted a strong response from Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma who issued a warning to him.
The singer has been identified as 31-year-old Altaf Hussain, who was arrested by the cops in Gauripur and was remanded to judicial custody on Sunday. He hails from Boraibari village and is employed at a private telecom company.
A local youth had filed a complaint against him at Abhayapuri police station and the case was referred to Gauripura, following which, he was apprehended.
Altaf's lawyer Adam Ali informed that his client was booked under Section 196 (promoting enmity between different groups) and 299 (deliberate attempt to insult a religion or religious feelings) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
"The complainant sought police action stating that Altaf's song was targeted at disrespecting the Bihu song. So he was arrested based on the complaint. We will soon file a petition seeking his bail," Ali said.
The lyrics of the song in Bengali resembles a Bangladeshi protest song, Desh ta tomar baper naki? (this this country owned by your father?).
The song has not gone down well as it was shared amid a backlash against the "miyas" after the rape of a 14-year-old girl allegedly by two Muslim youths in Nagaon district of Assam.
It may be noted that many in Assam refer to the Bengali speaking Muslims as miyas and consider them as a threat to the culture and language of the Assamese community.
Meanwhile, the Assam CM uploaded a video on Saturday night where he mentioned that Hussain was arrested for trying to promote 'Miya Bihu'.
"Hussain was apprehended for attempting to portray Bihu in a different way. One must respect the core characteristics to integrate well into society. We will not accept anyone who tries to promote our civilisation, traditions, or cultural practices in a way that deviates from our norms. The Assamese people will reject anyone who tries to alter Bihu into 'Miya Bihu', Sarma said in the video.