Delhi blast proves that educated people can be extremists too: Himanta

Guwahati, Nov 12 (PTI) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday said that it has been proved by the Delhi blast that educated people can be extremists too.

Several doctors have been suspected of being involved in the explosion that ripped through a slow-moving car near Delhi's Red Fort area, killing 12 people and injuring several others, on Monday.

''It is no longer true that educated people cannot be extremists. But if they get involved in such activities, they can be more dangerous and if they become doctors, they can be even more dangerous,'' the chief minister said on the sidelines of a programme here.

Apparently referring to Muslims, Sarma said that it was often discussed in the assembly that people from certain communities did not receive education, and so they were drawn into or used for such subversive activities.

But it has been now proved wrong that education cannot be a guarantee against such activities, the CM said.

''The Delhi blast has proved that it is not the illiterate but the educated who have carried out jihad, and a section in Assam, instead of condemning the incident, have posted emojis or posts welcoming the incident to make the situation worse in the state,'' he asserted.

This shows that people do not change with education and ''those who do not sing Vande Mataram can never be Indians and cannot consider the nation as their mother,'' Sarma claimed.

Muslims refrain from singing 'Vande Mataram' as it deifies the motherland as a Hindu goddess, which is seen as a violation of the Islamic principle of monotheism.

''If their intent is bad, then even if they are educated, they will make better bombs and try to divide the nation,'' Sarma said.

In Assam, the situation is very difficult as the percentage of people from these communities is very high and they enter the state to carry out subversive activities, the CM alleged.

''Assam has to be constantly alert for a long time, and if it (blasts) happen here, it will be big,'' he added.

The chief minister said that he had issued instructions to the police to arrest those who have welcomed blasts in their social media posts.

He said that 35 people from various districts of the state have been identified in this connection.

''We will investigate their links and if we find that anyone has links with Bangladesh or anyone outside the country who is involved in such activities, then we will take very tough action against them,'' the CM said.

If there are any minors or those who were unaware that their devices were used to make such posts will not be arrested but those who are responsible for such activities will be punished and not spared, Sarma said.

He said that many are deleting their posts now but ''we have taken the screenshots and will be tough in this regard''.

Sarma alleged that it was the same set of people who held protests at the 'Zubeen Kshetra', where popular singer Zubeen Garg was cremated, against the government were now putting up social media posts welcoming the Delhi blast.

''It is the people with the same intent who were involved in the blast near the Red Fort, the killings at Pahalgam and those creating disturbances at Zubeen Kshetra. They want to divide the nation with the use of bombs, guns, land or protests'', he said.

After the singer's death, Durga Puja, Lakshmi Puja, Ras Mahotsav and other festivals were held and all Hindus had put up his photographs at the venues as a tribute to him. But now, when several Islamic religious meets are being held, there are no pictures of Garg anywhere, Sarma claimed.

''The Assamese people need to understand that it is not the suspicious persons who will keep Zubeen Garg's legacy alive but it is they (the Assamese) who will have to do it,'' Sarma added. PTI DG NN