A complaint has been sent to the National Commission for Women (NCW) against BJP leader and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma over his comments targeting the mother of an opposition candidate in the recently concluded Assembly election campaign.
The complaint was filed on Saturday by Sujata Gurung Chowdhury. Her 27-year-old daughter Kunki Chaudhary contested from the Guwahati Central Assembly constituency as a candidate for the Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP), a member of the six-party opposition alliance led by the Congress. Assam Voice on April 9.
In her complaint, Sujata said Sarma targeted her in the run-up to the elections and circulated a picture, alleging that she had hurt the “sentiments of the Sanatani people” by consuming beef openly, and supported “anti-national” individuals.
Chowdhury said the photo – which allegedly showed her eating beef – actually showed her with a pillow kept at the International Cannabis Church (located in Denver, USA) and used by visitors to take pictures with it.
Chowdhury also attached a letter from Steve Burke, director of the International Cannabis Church, in which he stated that “the thing she (Chowdhury) is placing on her lips is a pillow, not any type of meat.”
Chowdhury said that following Sarma’s allegations, her personal photos, including those of her minor son, were circulated on social media without her consent, she was subjected to online abuse, harassment and character assassination, and several anonymous individuals distributed manipulated photos and AI-generated content to “harm her dignity”.
She stated that these actions caused her, her family, and her minor son “mental distress and damage to reputation,” and constituted defamation, character assassination, a violation of the rights to dignity and privacy, sexual harassment of women, and endangering the privacy and well-being of a minor.
She also stressed that she is a private individual with no active involvement in active politics and urged the NCW to take note of the complaint and direct the relevant authorities to investigate the statements and online harassment.
It also urged the committee to ensure the removal of defamatory, manipulative and harmful content from social media platforms.
The Prime Minister has not yet spoken about the complaint.
