A Delhi court has issued a notice to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on a petition filed by activist Harsh Mander seeking registration of an FIR over the BJP leader’s alleged “provocative” remarks targeting “Miya Muslims”.
Additional Sessions Judge Sonu Agnihotri issued the notice while hearing a revision petition filed by Mander against an April 20 order of a magisterial court, which had refused to direct police to register an FIR against Sarma.
In an order dated May 26, the court noted submissions made by Mander’s counsel regarding the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for Zero FIR and E-FIR issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs. The court stated that a notice had been issued to the respondents and fixed July 15, 2026, for further hearing after filing of replies.
The case relates to a speech allegedly made by Sarma on January 27 at an event in Digboi in Assam’s Tinsukia district. According to Mander’s plea, the Assam chief minister had stated that “four to five lakh Miya voters” would be removed from electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process in Assam.
The term “Miya” is often used as a pejorative expression for Bengali-speaking Muslims in Assam, who are frequently identified by non-Bengali-speaking communities as Bangladeshi immigrants. However, in recent years, several activists from the community have adopted the term as a form of resistance and identity assertion.
Mander’s petition further alleged that Sarma made statements intended to incite hostility against the community by reportedly saying that “only if they face troubles will they leave Assam” and that “we are ensuring that they cannot vote in Assam”.
During the hearing before the sessions court, Mander’s counsel argued that the trial court had wrongly rejected the plea citing lack of territorial jurisdiction. The counsel submitted that under the concept of Zero FIR, information regarding a cognisable offence can be lodged at any police station irrespective of where the offence took place.
Taking note of the submissions, the court directed issuance of notice on the revision petition.