A 20-year-old Muslim student and Students’ Federation of India (SFI) activist has accused Guwahati Police of assaulting him, using communal slurs and threatening to kill him after he attended a protest against violence against women on October 13.
Sahil Khan, a first-semester Bachelor of Arts student at an open university, was allegedly detained around 7:30pm and taken to Panbazar Police Station. He was released at around 9pm after a medical examination, according to Maktoob Media.
Khan said police intercepted him and a friend about 200 metres from Nehru Park, roughly 30 minutes after the Women’s Freedom March organised by the Women Against Violence Collective had ended.
Officers initially asked him to produce the documents for his scooter. Although he said the documents were in order, they allegedly ordered him to accompany them without explaining why. When he refused, they forced him into a police vehicle, dragging him by his hair, he told Maktoob.
“Because they were not furnishing any reason to arrest me, I was refusing to go with them. A police officer and a police official who was driving the car put me inside by force, dragging me by my hair,” Khan said.
He alleged that officers assaulted him inside the vehicle and questioned his participation in the protest because he was Muslim.
“Inside the car, they took me by the hair and assaulted me. They asked me why I joined the protest, as I am a Muslim. I was brutally beaten up by police,” he said.
Khan further alleged that officers at the police station repeatedly called him “Miya” and threatened to make him disappear or kill him.
“The police were repeatedly calling me Miya, and one of them threatened my life and said, ‘tujhe gayab kardenge (We will make you disappear),’ while the other said, ‘we will kill you,’” he told Maktoob.
“They were saying, ‘You are a Muslim; why are you participating in protests?’ as if Muslims can’t participate in protests,” he added.
Questioning why he had allegedly been singled out, Khan said more than 200 people had attended the demonstration.
“Is demanding justice for crimes against women a crime? Or is being a Muslim a crime?” he asked.
“There were more than 200 people in the protest, but only I was singled out. They could have arrested me from the protest area; the police followed me and illegally and suspiciously detained me. If I had done anything wrong, why not arrest me in daylight and take me to the police station through the main gate?”
Monirul Khan, who was accompanying Sahil Khan after the protest, also confirmed the incident to Maktoob.
Friends and fellow protesters said they visited several police stations after learning of Khan’s detention, but officers initially denied holding him. They eventually located him at Panbazar Police Station after approaching senior authorities.
Utpola Das, a march organiser and SFI’s state joint secretary, told Maktoob that police initially justified Khan’s detention by accusing him of reckless driving. Officers later acknowledged that he was inside the station.
Das said protesters learnt from Khan that officers had assaulted him, made communal remarks and questioned his participation in the protest because of his religion.
“We learnt from Sahil that police personnel made communal remarks and questioned Khan’s participation in the protest, telling him, ‘You are a Miya, and you have come here to take part in a protest,’” she said.
When protesters challenged the officer in charge over the alleged remarks, he initially denied making them. He later reportedly said he had called Khan “Miya” because his name ended with “Kalam Miya”.
Das disputed the explanation, saying, “His name is Sahil Khan. Either the police were tracking him or assumed his identity. He has been active and participating in programmes like these.”
She also questioned the circumstances surrounding Khan’s medical examination, alleging that police took a longer route to the hospital before returning him to the station for release.
Das said the protesters would pursue legal action, arguing that the incident raised concerns about the safety and freedom of Muslims.
“We will deal with it through the law, because it is not just about Sahil; it is a matter of the safety and freedom of Muslims. Why did they single him out based on his identity and give him death threats for participating in a protest?” she said.
Maktoob said its calls to Panbazar Police Station seeking a response went unanswered.
The Women Against Violence Collective organised the Women’s Freedom March near Nehru Park on October 13, demanding an end to violence against women and calling for gender equality.
A large police deployment prevented the march from proceeding, with officers telling organisers they lacked the required permission. The organisers then staged a protest at the site and left without taking out a rally.
An organiser told Maktoob the demonstration was prompted by renewed concerns about violence against women in Guwahati. The organisers said two young lives had been lost to sexual violence within 15 days, highlighting concerns about violence, victim-blaming and character assassination.
The organiser also referred to the recent death of an Assam woman found near railway tracks after reportedly complaining about drunk men aboard a train. Railway police reportedly suspected she had fallen from the moving train, while her family alleged she had been murdered.
“It was a collective call to address the increasing crimes against women in the city,” the organiser said.
In a statement, the organisers urged women in Guwahati to stand in solidarity with those who had lost their lives, survivors being silenced and women seeking to live without fear or shame.
Responding to Khan’s alleged detention after the march, the organiser said, “It completely shows the police’s attitude towards Muslims; it is pure religious discrimination by the police.”