Himanta Biswa Sarma said,”I always tell them, there is no problem in ‘Miyas’ being indigenous. But they cannot have two-three wives. That is not an Assamese culture.”
Bengali-speaking Muslims in Assam, according to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, had to give up customs like underage marriage and polygamy in order to be recognized as “khilonjiya,” or native inhabitants of the region.
Sarma had previously blamed these social ills on the state’s Bengali-speaking Muslim population, the majority of whom are originally from Bangladesh.
It is a separate thing entirely whether or not Muslims who speak Bengali, or “Miyas,” are indigenous. In other words, we don’t mind if they try to pass themselves off as “indigenous.” But in order to do that, they must reject polygamy and child marriage and support women’s education,” Sarma stated on Saturday.
Originally used as a derogatory slur for Muslims in Assam who spoke Bengali, the term “Miya” is now used to refer to immigrants from Bangladesh among non-Bengali-speaking individuals. Community activists have been using this phrase as a sign of defiance in recent years.
According to him, girls in Assamese culture are compared to “shakti,” or goddesses, and it is not Assamese custom to marry twice or three times.
“As I often remind them, ‘Miyas’ being indigenous is not a problem. But they are unable to have two or three wives. That’s not the culture of Assam. “How can someone want to be indigenous and encroach on Satra’s (a Vaishnavite monastery) land?” he said.
The CM stated that Muslims who speak Bengali will also be regarded as “indigenous” if they are able to adhere to Assamese traditions.
As Sarma had previously stated, the state administration had conducted a thorough investigation into child marriage in two stages last year and discovered that many elderly men had married more than once, with the majority of their brides being young girls from the lower classes.
3,483 people were detained and 4,515 cases were registered in the first phase, which took place in February of last year. In the second phase, which took place in October, 915 people were arrested and 710 cases were registered.
When the next Assembly elections are scheduled for 2026, Sarma has declared that the practice of underage marriage will be completely eliminated from the state.
