'Miyah' Poetry Row: 9 Out of 10 Named in FIR For Depicting Assamese as 'Xenophobic' Yet to be Identified, Says Police
The controversy over Miyah poetry comes amid the row over the National Register of Citizens, which has excluded over 3.30 crore applicants in its draft list. Those excluded in the final draft, slated to be published on August 31, will be deemed as illegal immigrants and will be forced to prove their citizenship before the foreigners' tribunal.
Guwahati, July 28: Nine of the ten accused in the named in the FIR against 'Miyah' poetry are yet to be identified, said investigating officer Pahary Konwar. The accused have been booked for promoting religious enmity through their poetry, which allegedly portrays the Assamese population as xenophobic.
Notice has so far been served to Hafeez Ahmad, one among the 10 accused poets. He has, however, dismissed the charges levelled by the police. SC Extends Deadline to Finalise National Register of Citizens to August 31
Speaking to reporters, Ahmad said that his poem - "I am a Miyah" - is only aimed at airing the plight of Assamese Muslims, rather than jabbing the indigenous population.
The poem, he said, is inspired by Mahmoud Darwish’s ‘I am an Arab'. The term 'Miyah' was used by him as it is used in Assam to refer to Muslims from Bangladesh.
Ahmed claimed that the term has been used to refer to even those Muslims whose ancestral roots lie in the Indian state of West Bengal. Despite living for over a century in this state, the Muslim community of Bengal-origin is being looked upon as "outsiders", he said.
A senior police officer, who is privy to the case, said that poets have prima facie crossed the line. The condition in Assam is not as worse as that of Palestine, he said.
The controversy over Miyah poetry comes amid the row over the National Register of Citizens, which has excluded over 3.30 crore applicants in its draft list. Those excluded in the final draft, slated to be published on August 31, will be deemed as illegal immigrants and will be forced to prove their citizenship before the foreigners' tribunal.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 28, 2019 08:59 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).