Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday said nine more people have been arrested for posting “offensive” content on social media following the Delhi blast, taking the total number of arrests to 15.
The latest arrests were made since Wednesday night.
“In connection with the offensive social media posts following the Delhi blast, 15 persons have been arrested across Assam so far,” Sarma posted on X.
He listed the newly arrested individuals as: Rafijul Ali (Bongaigaon), Forid Uddin Laskar (Hailakandi), Inamul Islam (Lakhimpur), Firuj Ahmed alias Papon (Lakhimpur), Shahil Shoman Sikdar alias Shahidul Islam (Barpeta), Rakibul Sultan (Barpeta), Nasim Akram (Hojai), Taslim Ahmed (Kamrup) and Abdur Rohim Mollah alias Bappy Hussain (South Salmara).
Sarma said the Assam Police will take strict action against those who glorify violence.
On Wednesday, the chief minister had directed police to arrest anyone who publicly welcomed the blast. He said 35 people across various districts had been identified and their backgrounds were being probed.
“If anyone is found to have links with Bangladesh or any other country, we will take very tough action,” he said.
He clarified that minors and individuals unaware that their devices were misused would not face arrest, but those responsible would be held accountable. He added that many users were now deleting their posts, but authorities had already saved screenshots.
Sarma also alleged that the same group of people who recently protested at Zubeen Kshetra were now posting content celebrating the Delhi blast.
The high-intensity explosion occurred on Monday evening when a slow-moving car exploded at a traffic signal near the Red Fort metro station, killing 12 people and injuring several others.
