A major political controversy erupted on Saturday after the official X handle of the Assam BJP briefly posted — and later removed — a disturbing video that appeared to show Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma shooting Muslim men described as “intruders,” setting off a wave of outrage from Congress leaders who accused the ruling party of openly inciting hatred and violence against minorities.
The clip, which rapidly spread across social media before being taken down, showed the Assam Chief Minister holding a firearm and aiming at two Muslim men, accompanied by the chilling caption “POINT BLANK SHOT.” Opposition leaders alleged that the video was linked to a campaign projecting a “foreigner-free Assam,” widely interpreted as targeting illegal Bangladeshi immigrants, particularly Bengali-origin Muslims.
Congress leaders claimed the visuals were not authentic footage but a digitally manipulated promotional video that merged real images of Himanta Biswa Sarma with AI-generated or altered scenes portraying him shooting Muslim men. The content was condemned as overtly communal, provocative, and capable of inciting real-world violence.
The backlash intensified as Congress national spokesperson Supriya Shrinate launched a fierce attack on the BJP, questioning how deleting the post could erase responsibility. She wrote on X, “Deleting the video where Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma is shown shooting Muslim men with a caption ‘POINT BLANK SHOT’ isn’t enough. This is who the BJP really is: mass murderers. This venom, hatred and violence is on you, Mr Modi. Are the courts and other institutions sleeping?” Shrinate also reposted the deleted clip, amplifying criticism and reigniting debate over the use of violent imagery in political messaging.
The Congress’ Kerala unit went a step further, alleging that the ruling party had crossed a dangerous line by allegedly issuing what it described as a call for genocide. It questioned the timing of the video, pointing out that it surfaced as Prime Minister Narendra Modi was visiting Muslim-majority Malaysia. The party asked what message such imagery sends to Malaysia’s leadership, Indian Muslims, and minorities watching from abroad, warning that extreme rhetoric driven by electoral ambitions could severely damage India’s global reputation and national interest.
Congress leader KC Venugopal also issued a scathing condemnation, rejecting any attempt to downplay the video as fringe or troll content. “An official BJP handle posted a video showing the targeted, ‘point-blank’ murder of minorities. This is nothing but a call to genocide a dream this fascist regime has harboured for decades,” he said, urging judicial intervention while expressing little hope that Prime Minister Modi would step in.
Echoing the charge of constitutional violation, Congress leader Shamma Mohamed directly tagged the Prime Minister and raised questions about institutional silence. “You talk about ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas,’ but your favourite man, Himanta Biswa Sarma, made a video shooting Muslims and got it posted from the official handle of BJP Assam. This is an attack on the Indian Constitution,” she wrote, adding that the Supreme Court’s failure to take suo motu cognisance raised serious concerns about accountability.
The criticism did not stop there. Congress leader Imran Pratapgarhi said removing the video could not absolve the BJP of responsibility. “Your favorite Chief Minister is directly shooting bullets at the chests of Muslims in his election advertisements, but in reality, he is shooting at the chest of the Constitution. One such bullet was fired by Godse at the chest of Mahatma Gandhi." he wrote, drawing a sharp historical parallel that further escalated the political storm.
