"Breaking: 'Free Palestine' Slogans in Assam’s Remembrance Rally Erupt Controversy – Shocking Revelation!"

'Free Palestine' slogans in Assam’s remembrance rally erupt controversy.

People in the three districts of Barak Valley observe Language Martyrs' Day on May 19, commemorating the sacrifice of eleven youths during the language movement in 1961 in Silchar.

A controversy erupted in Assam’s Silchar on Friday evening after 'Free Palestine' and 'Stop Killing in Gaza' slogans were raised during a rally conducted in remembrance of the 1961 language movement in the Barak Valley.

People in the three districts of Barak Valley observe Language Martyrs' Day on May 19, commemorating the sacrifice of eleven youths during the language movement in 1961 in Silchar.

Friday’s rally was organized by the Sammilita Sanskritik Mancha, an umbrella organization comprising 32 socio-cultural groups. During the rally, participants were seen displaying posters advocating for 'Free Palestine' and 'Stop Killing Children and Innocents in Gaza'. Biswajit Das, the president of Sammilita Sanskritik Mancha, stated that the 1961 language movement was a fight against oppression by superior classes (state government), and he drew parallels between the events in Gaza and the struggle in Silchar.

“We are followers of Rabindranath Tagore. We believe we are global citizens, and we have to raise our voices against both local and global issues. We have sympathy for the Palestinians and also for those facing Russian attacks in Ukraine,” Das said.

He clarified that the slogans were raised by the Chorus organization, which he founded, and not by the other attendees of the rally.

“For us, the occasion of commemorating the language movement is an opportunity to speak out against all forms of injustice, and we raised our voices against the killing of innocents and children in Gaza. The other organizations that participated in the rally may not share our views, and we did not compel anyone to support us,” Das said.

However, this action faced criticism on social media, with netizens stating that politicizing the language movement was "inappropriate."

Senior theatre activist and journalist Sayan Biswas wrote on Facebook, “I participated in the rally out of respect for my mother language because we must not forget the sacrifice of the martyrs. However, I do not support irrelevant posters or slogans. My organization, Ajker Prajanma Theatre Group, does not endorse this behavior.”

Joydeep Dutta, a social activist from Silchar, commented, “Today’s rally appeared to be more about criticizing the government than remembering the language martyrs. We do not support this.”

In response, senior advocate and former member of the Foreigners Tribunal in Karimganj, Sishir Dey, stated, “No movement is apolitical; the language movement of 1961 was also a response to a government decision. We cannot bring back those 11 youths who died during that movement, but we can honor their memory by speaking out against the government's wrong decisions today.”

Eleven youths, including a 14-year-old girl, were allegedly killed in police firing at Silchar Railway Station on May 19, 1961, while protesting against the Assam Language Act 1960, which sought to declare Assamese as the sole official language of the state.

Following the deaths of the youths, the state government reversed its decision, and Bengali became the official language of the three districts of Barak Valley. Similarly, Bodo became the official language of Bodoland.

During Friday’s rally in Silchar, some organizations demanded official recognition of the Bhasa Sahid (language martyrs) for those eleven youths.

“After the incident, the Mehrotra Commission investigated the case, but the report was never made public. We demand the government to make it public because we deserve to know the truth,” stated Gauhati High Court lawyer Taniya Laskar.

In addition, some organizations raised their voices against the National Register of Citizens (NRC), the struggle for citizenship in the name of doubtful voters, and demanded the closure of detention centers in the state.