Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has outlined certain criteria for the acknowledgment of ‘miya’ as indigenous people of Assam. Sarma has stressed the importance of upholding Assamese cultural traditions and customs, in addition to fulfilling other essential prerequisites.
He has emphasized that Bengali-speaking Muslims should renounce practices such as child marriage and polygamy. Sarma had previously attributed these societal vices to the Bengali-speaking Muslim community in the state, many of whom have ancestral ties to Bangladesh.
The term ‘Miya’ was originally used as a derogatory term for Bengali-speaking Muslims in Assam, with non-Bengali speakers often identifying them as Bangladeshi immigrants. However, in recent years, activists from the community have embraced this term as an act of defiance. According to him, the Assamese people have a cultural belief where girls are compared to ‘shakti’, and it is not considered a part of Assamese culture to marry multiple times.
He stated that ‘Miyas’ are indigenous or not is a different matter and if they try to be ‘indigenous’, that’s not a problem. But for that, they have to forsake child marriage and polygamy, and encourage women education among their society. Also, they shouldn’t have two-three wives as that is not a part of Assamese culture.
Last year, the state government launched a rigorous crackdown on child marriage in two phases. It was discovered that many elderly men were marrying multiple times, with their wives mostly being young girls from the economically disadvantaged sections of society. Sarma had previously mentioned that in the first phase, 3,483 individuals were arrested and 4,515 cases were registered. In the second phase, which took place in October, 915 individuals were arrested and 710 cases were registered.
