The Assam Police on Wednesday filed a suo motu case against a Gauhati University research scholar in connection with a two-year-old deleted Facebook post about consumption of beef, PTI reported. The post was widely shared after a local news portal reportedly published it on Wednesday.
“We are investigating the matter,” Guwahati Police Commissioner Deepak Kumar told The Telegraph.
Rehana Sultana’s original post, written in Assamese in June 2017, said: “Today, we are also participating in Pakistan’s joy by gorging on beef! What I eat depends on my tastebuds! However, don’t make yourselves the subject of controversy simply by talking about the taboo subject of beef.” She was referring to the Indian cricket team’s loss to Pakistan in the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy.
“We have filed an FIR against the research scholar this morning as a screenshot of her 2017 Facebook post related to Pakistan and beef was extensively shared on social media recently,” an unidentified officer of Jalukbari police outpost was quoted as saying by The Telegraph.
“The post was completely sarcastic in nature to release the frustration at the loss of India to Pakistan in the Champions Trophy two years back, which was immediately deleted after protests from friends,” a statement issued by Sultana said. “But it is unfortunate that the screenshot of the same post was circulated with modified content and out of context.”
The 28-year-old alleged that the post was dug up as she had been actively involved in managing and helping applicants in Lower Assam who have been issued National Register of Citizens re-verification hearing notices. “I work for the genuine people for their inclusion in the NRC,” Sultana was quoted as saying by PTI. “Recently I helped them during hearing. I suspect this issue has been raked up to demoralise me for my stand in NRC.”
Sultana already has three first information reports lodged against her regarding the Miyah poetry movement, an unidentified friend told The Telegraph. Last month, the Assam Police had filed a case against 10 people after a complaint about a poem on citizenship problems being faced by sections of the state population.
Sultana is a resident of Boko in Kamrup district of Assam.
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