Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday directed officials to conduct an extensive socio-economic survey of the state’s five indigenous Muslim communities in a meeting with senior officials held at the state secretariat. This action was taken to determine the necessary measures for their upliftment.

“In a meeting held at Janata Bhawan, HCM Dr. @himantabiswa directed the concerned officials to carry out a socio-economic assessment of Assam’s Indigenous Muslim communities (Goria, Moria, Deshi, Syed & Jolha),” the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) posted on X, formerly Twitter.

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The findings of the assessment will guide the state government in taking suitable measures aimed at comprehensive socio-political and educational upliftment of the indigenous minorities, it further stated.

This development comes a day after the Nitish Kumar government in Bihar announced the results of its eagerly awaited caste survey, ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in 2024, which showed that 63% of the state’s population consists of OBCs and EBCs.

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On Sunday, October 1, Sarma alleged that the BJP does not need the votes of ‘Miya’ people from ‘Char’ (Riverine sandbar) areas for the next 10 years, until they reform themselves by leaving practices such as child marriages aside.

According to the Indian Express, Sarma stated that the ‘Miya’ people support him, PM Narendra Modi, and the BJP, and they can continue to shout slogans in favor of the saffron brigade without necessarily voting for them.

The term ‘Miya’ is a slang used to refer to Bengali-speaking Muslims.

The chief minister mentioned on Tuesday that in a massive crackdown against child marriage, Assam police have detained more than 800 accused, with the number potentially rising in the future. Later, he reposted it, stating that the number now stands at 1,039.

On September 11, Sarma informed the Assam Assembly that a total of 3,907 people were arrested in cases related to child marriages in the last five years, with 3,319 facing charges under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 (POCSO).