Miya Museum Sealed, Office Holders of the Assam Miya Parisad Arrested

GOALPARA: The state administration on Tuesday sealed the controversial Miya Museum at Dapkabhita in Goalpara district and detained three persons associated with it. Several political leaders including Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had spoken about the incident.

In the latest step taken by the police, the general secretary of Assam Miya Parishad, Abdul Baten Sheikh was on Tuesday. He was taken into custody by a team from Dhubri Police in connection with the ongoing controversy. According to reports, Abdul Baten Sheikh was arrested from his residence at Alamganj in Gauripur in the Dhubri district of Assam.

This step follows the questioning of the president of Assam Miya Parishad, M Mohar Ali by a team of the Goalpara Police after the controversy stirred over the display of items in the establishment.

Tanu Dhadumia, reportedly from an Ahom organisation and who had inaugurated the museum on Sunday, was picked up from his residence in Kawamari village in Dibrugarh.

After their arrest, the trio was brought to Nalbari for their connection with a case registered at the Ghograpar police station under different sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for investigation and interrogation. They are allegedly associated with the Al Qaeda in Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) and Ansarul Bangla Team (ABT), a senior police officer said.

It was pointed out that the word 'Miya' in Assam refers to the Bengali-speaking migrants, mainly from Bangladesh, and is not a community of Assam.

Several Assamese Muslim organisations opposed the move to set up the 'Miya Museum', saying that most of the exhibits were 'stolen' from the indigenous communities. Even CM Sarma had said 'only the lungi is theirs, the others are ours', referring to the exhibits.

The Goalpara district administration has already sealed the so-called Miya Museum premises under orders from Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who questioned the source of funds behind the project in the front press on Tuesday. M Mohar Ali has been alleged to have set up the museum that cooked up a lot of controversies and drew a brawl between several politicians.

Himanta Biswa Sarma had mentioned that the police will investigate the source of funds behind the construction of the disputed museum. He also said that all members involved in this project will be questioned in a proper probe. The products on the display are related to the Assamese people and not to the Miya community alone. They must prove the authenticity of the claims in front of a panel of experts before labelling them as items of nostalgic value to the community and setting up a museum

The source of the controversy lies in a statement made by Congressman Sherman Ali Ahmed in 2020 asking for permission to set up a Miya Museum inside the Srimanta Shankardev Kalakshetra in Guwahati.

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