On Thursday, April 24, 2025, Assam police arrested MLA Aminul Islam, a day after he suggested that the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam and the 2019 Pulwama incident might have been part of a “conspiracy” involving top BJP leaders. Islam, who represents the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) from the Dhing constituency in central Assam, made the controversial remarks during a political rally on April 23, where he expressed suspicion about a possible link between the two attacks, the Pulwama attack and the Pahalgam incident.

“The day 42 Indian soldiers were killed in the Pulwama attack, I said it was a conspiracy. The government conspired to polarise voters and win the 2019 Lok Sabha election. I demanded a probe, but till today, we don’t know how a vehicle carrying 300 kg of RDX could enter a CRPF convoy in a high-security area,” he stated. Islam added, “Because the incident was not probed, the people of the country still do not know who carried out the attack”.

“Now, after the Pahalgam attack, the BJP is saying the terrorists fired at the Hindus and spared the Muslims. However, the survivors said nobody’s name was asked. They fired from the darkness, secretly. I suspect the Pahalgam attack was carried out by those who had perpetrated the Pulwama attack,” MLA Aminul Islam said. “If the government does not conduct an impartial probe into this incident and resort to Hindu-Muslim divisive politics, we will suspect this happened due to a conspiracy hatched by (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi and (Home Minister) Amit Shah,” he continued.

The police said Mr. Islam was taken into custody for making a “misleading and provocative” public statement that went viral and could have led to a tense situation. A case has been filed against him at the Nagaon police station under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. One of these sections (152) addresses acts that threaten India’s sovereignty, unity, and integrity; another (196) targets efforts to stir up hatred between groups based on religion, race, language, caste, or similar factors; and section 113(3) relates to aiding, planning, or encouraging terrorist activities.

AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal distanced his party from Mr. Islam’s remarks, calling them “personal” and “unfortunate,” and said they did not represent the party’s position. “What he said was unfortunate and does not reflect our party’s stance. We stand with our State government, as terrorists are terrorists without any caste or religion,” he stated.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma stated that the state would take the strictest action against anyone who tries to justify or support the Pakistan-backed terror attack in Pahalgam. “Let it be known clearly: those who attempt to justify, normalise, or dilute the brutal murder of innocent civilians are not exercising freedom of expression — they are standing against the soul of India,” he expressed, noting that Mr. Islam’s comments had hurt public sentiment in the state. He also announced that the families of those killed in the Pahalgam attack would receive ₹5 lakh each in financial aid. “We are deeply hurt by the incident,” he declared.