Flashpoint in Assam: BJP Retracts Explosive Video Targeting Minorities Amid Election Fever

The fallout was immediate and visceral. Opposition heavyweights, including the Indian National Congress and the Trinamool Congress (TMC), characterized the production as a direct incitement to communal violence. Congress General Secretary K.C. Venugopal described the content as a "call to genocide," arguing that the video was not merely the work of online trolls but a deliberate signal "from the very top" of the state’s leadership. TMC representatives echoed these concerns, labeling the clip "performative bloodlust" and calling for immediate judicial intervention. While the BJP has since deleted the post without a formal explanation, pivoting instead to standard developmental updates, the digital footprint of the video continues to circulate via screen recordings, fueling a heated national debate over the ethics of AI-assisted political propaganda.

The timing of the incident is particularly sensitive as the state navigates a complex political landscape defined by demographic shifts and the fallout of the National Register of Citizens (NRC). Critics argue that the video’s "Point Blank Shot" theme serves to normalize a rhetoric of exclusion against Bengali-origin Muslims, often pejoratively referred to in local political discourse. Despite the intensity of the backlash and public demands from figures like AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi for the registration of a First Information Report (FIR), local law enforcement has yet to take formal action. The Chief Minister’s office has remained silent on the specific creative choices of the video, even as Sarma continues his vocal stance on "protecting indigenous rights" from what he terms a "demographic invasion."

This episode highlights a dangerous new frontier in Indian political communication, where the line between hardline policy and the glorification of violence is increasingly blurred by sophisticated digital editing. As the 2026 elections approach, the incident underscores the fragility of communal harmony in the region and raises urgent questions about the accountability of ruling parties in managing their digital platforms. Whether this deletion marks a strategic retreat or merely a temporary pause in a larger, more aggressive campaign remains to be seen, but the psychological impact on the state’s minority communities has already set a somber tone for the upcoming democratic contest.