Assam govt to probe issues related to ‘Miya Museum’: CM

Guwahati: Citing that nothing belongs to the Miya community except a ‘Lungi’ in the museum, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said that the state government will probe the matter.

A private Miya Museum was recently inaugurated by Miya Parishat at the Dapkarbhita Lakhipur area in Assam’s Goalpara district.

“I don’t understand what is this museum. The material which has been placed there belongs to the Assamese people except for Lungi (a piece of cloth). They have placed on Nangol (a tool used to plough land), fishing equipment there, but our scheduled caste people have used these traditional types of equipment for decades after decades. What is new in there except Lungi?” CM said. Adding that they (not only Miya Parishad, but people supporting it) will have to prove before the government that, the Nangol is only used by Miya people, not others.

If they set up Miya Museum by using the tools, and types of equipment of Assamese people, then a case will be registered,” Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

The Assam Chief Minister further said that the intellectuals of the state should have to think about it, they called me communal when I raised my voice against Miya’s poem. Now Miya poem, Miya school, and Miya Museum have taken place.

“I was talking about these challenges. They have shown a Gamosa, but this belongs to the Deshi Muslim community and they have made just some changes to it and called it as Miya Gamosa. They will have to give answers to the government. The government will take action after the opening of the office,” the Assam Chief Minister said.

Earlier in 2020, expelled Congress MLA Sherman Ali Ahmed sent a letter to the Director of the Museum and stated that one Museum, reflecting the culture and heritage of the people living in Char-Chaporis of Assam on the premises of Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra, Guwahati was recommended by Departmentally Related Standing Committee on Education, 2020-21 in its 47th report on Art and Culture (Grant No. 27).

Those who are living in Char-Chaporis (riverine islands) of Brahmaputra are mostly Bengali-speaking Muslims and locals call them Miya.

Notably, the district administration on Tuesday sealed the Miya museum, inaugurated a few days back, citing that the museum was opened in a PMAY house.

Rajib Gogoi, Circle Officer of Goalpara district, said that, as per the direction of the Deputy Commissioner of Goalpara district, we have sealed the PMAY-G house.

“The Miya Museum was opened in the PMAY house,” the Circle Officer said.

The Miya community in Assam comprises descendants of Muslim migrants from East Bengal (now Bangladesh) to Assam.

The riverine areas (island) of the river Brahmaputra, locally known as Char-Chapori, cover about 3.60 lakh hectares of land and the chars follow a peculiar pattern of migration.

(Inputs from ANI)