HC seeks Himanta Sarma’s response on plea against hate speech, says remarks show divisive tendency

The Gauhati High Court on Thursday (February 26, 2026) issued a notice to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma after hearing multiple petitions seeking action against him for alleged hate speeches targeting Muslims whom the Chief Minister addresses as the ‘miya’ community.

Miya is a pejorative term commonly used in Assam to refer to Bengali-speaking or Bengali-origin Muslims. The Chief Minister has gone on record to say that the word means “illegal immigrants”.

A Division Bench, comprising Chief Justice Ashutosh Kumar and Justice Arun Dev Choudhury, heard senior advocates representing the petitioners and directed that notices be served to the Chief Minister, as well as the Central and the Assam governments. The next hearing is scheduled for April 21.