Bangladesh anthem row: Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma orders treason charges; Congress says song reflects Bengali cultural pride

GUWAHATI: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has ordered police to file treason charges against Sribhumi district Congress members after a video of a senior leader singing Bangladesh’s national anthem at a party meeting two days ago surfaced. Himanta Sarma condemned the act and called it a grave insult to national sentiments.“The anthem was sung with the reverence reserved for India’s own. Under no circumstances can we accept this in Assam,” he said on Wednesday. He added that FIRs would be registered under appropriate sections of law and arrests would follow.The chief minister linked the incident to a broader geopolitical concern, citing what he described as Bangladesh’s growing “Greater Bangladesh” narrative — a controversial idea that imagines parts of India’s northeast as part of Bangladesh.Himanta went further, calling it a “Pakistan-backed project,” referencing a recent event in Dhaka where chief adviser of the interim govt of Bangladesh, Prof Mohammed Yunus, gifted a book, “Art of Triumph,” to chairman of Pakistan’s Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) General Sahir Shamshad Mirza in Dhaka. The book cover featured an abstract map that appeared to include northeast India.Himanta took aim at the Congress leadership, accusing Lok Sabha deputy leader Gaurav Gogoi of tacit approval. “Instead of taking action, Gogoi seems quietly pleased. This is nothing short of endorsing Bangladesh’s claim over our land,” he said.The controversy erupted after senior Congress leader Bidhu Bhushan Das sang “Amar Sonar Bangla, Ami Tomay Bhalobasi” at a Congress Seva Dal meeting in Sribhumi on Monday. The song, written by Rabindra Natha Tagore in 1905 as a poem during the years of the Swadeshi movement and against the partition of Bengal, was later adopted by Bangladesh as its national anthem in 1971.Gaurav defended the song’s use at the party meeting, arguing that it was originally penned by Tagore long before it became Bangladesh’s national anthem. “The song reflects Bengali cultural pride. BJP IT cell’s outrage only reveals its ignorance of Tagore’s legacy,” Gaurav said.He accused BJP of consistently disrespecting Bengali language and culture, claiming the party exploits Bengali-speaking communities for votes without understanding their heritage. “This song resonates deeply with the emotions of the Bengali people,” Gaurav added.Sribhumi, formerly known as Karimganj, borders Bangladesh and has a predominantly Muslim population. The anthem controversy has stirred deep political and cultural tensions in the region, with both parties standing firm on their interpretations of patriotism and identity.