Gogoi appeals to people not to fall prey to 'beef politics'

He says, jihadi groups are 'hell bound' to create disturbance and vitiate the communal amity of the state

Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has cautioned people to be alert against "beef politics" and not to fall prey to the "evil designs" of communal forces as jihadi groups are desperate to create disturbance and vitiate the communal amity of the state.

"Assam is a land known for its age old communal amity and secular harmony and I urge everybody to maintain the social fabric of the state which is based on the teachings of Sankardev, Madhavdev and Ajan Fakir," Gogoi said in a statement.

The chief minister said jihadi groups are "hell bound" to create disturbance and vitiate the communal amity of the state.

He also alleged that an attempt has been made to import 'beef politics' to certain parts of the state by "fringe groups of BJP."

"The government is maintaining a close vigil on the situation and timely intervention of the government machinery prevented the situation from snowballing into chaos," he said.

Ajan Fakir was a Sufi Syed, poet, Muslim preacher and saint from Baghdad who settled in Assam in the 17th century and helped to unify the people and to reform, reinforce and stabilise Islam in Assam.

Srimanta Sankardev was a 15th-16th century Assamese social-religious reformer, saint-scholar, poet, playwright, and a tall figure in the cultural and religious history of Assam, while Madhavdev was his most prominent disciple with artistic brilliance.