Dhubri communal tensions: Assam CM says main accused identified; urges surrender

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the main culprit behind placing cattle parts near a Hanuman temple in Dhubri town during Id-ul-Azha has been identified.

The man who tried to stoke the communal fire should give up, he said after assessing the law and order situation in the western Assam town on Tuesday (June 24, 2025).

”The mastermind has been identified as Mintu Ali. He is currently absconding, and his mobile phone has been switched off. I ask him to surrender,” Mr. Sarma said, adding that 151 people have been arrested in connection with the unrest so far.

The Chief Minister said Dhubri has remained calm since the government took stern measures two weeks ago. “We are planning long-term measures, including setting up an Army camp,” he said.

He also said action would be taken against officials in the Animal Husbandry Department for letting 1,460 cows enter Dhubri from adjoining West Bengal ahead of Id-ul-Azha.

Mr. Sarma reminded people of the Assam Cattle Preservation Act of 2021 that prohibits the consumption and sale of beef within a 5-km radius of Buddhist, Hindu, Jain, and Sikh places of worship.

The Chief Minister also declared a beef-free buffer zone around Dhubri’s iconic Gurdwara Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib and advised beef sellers to shut down shops or face police action.

He further said the police were probing deeper into ‘Nabin Bangla’, a new group reportedly espousing the merger of the Muslim-majority Dhubri district with Bangladesh.