After Assam CM's treason order, Silchar residents sing Tagore song in protest

GUWAHATI: Residents of Silchar town in Assams Cachar district sang Amar Sonar Bangla, Ami Tomay Bhalobasi in unison to send across a message that the singing of the song is not an anti-national act as viewed by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and the ruling BJP. Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore penned this patriotic song, meaning my beloved Bengal, I love you, in 1905 during the first partition of Bengal. Decades later, Bangladesh adopted it as its national anthem. A group of people, including intellectuals and members of NGOs and cultural groups, gathered at the statue of freedom fighter Khudiram Bose in Silchar town on Thursday evening and sang the song. They said they were proud of Rabindra Sangeet (Tagore songs). Former Vice Chancellor of Assam University Tapadhir Bhattacharjee said he could never imagine that singing a Tagore song would be viewed as an act of treason one day. He called upon people to pay tribute to Tagore by proudly singing the song. Social activist Ajay Rai said it was unfortunate that the chief minister ordered the filing of an FIR against a senior leader for singing the song. Cachar, Sribhumi and Hailakandi are the three districts of southern Assams Barak Valley adjoining Bangladesh and where Bengalis are in a large majority. The controversy erupted after a video of a Congress leaders rendition of the song at a Seva Dal meeting in Sribhumi went viral. Bidhu Bhushan Das, a septuagenarian, had started his address by singing the song. Reacting sharply, the chief minister had stated that the commencement of a meeting of the Congress with the singing of Bangladeshs national anthem was unacceptable in Assam. He had instructed the police to file a case of treason against Congress members in Sribhumi. We will lodge an FIR and the police will take action under appropriate sections of law, he had stated. The Congress had slammed the BJP for its ignorance, with Jorhat MP and Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi stating that the song conveys the sentiments of Bengali culture. Meanwhile, the Congress leader said he had no idea if any FIR was registered against him. Nobody contacted me, he said.