Guwahati: Assam Police have arrested five individuals for allegedly supporting the recent deadly blast near Delhi’s Red Fort on social media, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced on Wednesday.

The arrested individuals have been identified as Mattiur Rahman of Darrang, Hassan Ali Mondal of Goalpara, Abdul Latif of Chirang, Wajhul Kamal of Kamrup, and Nur Amin Ahmed of Bongaigaon.

Sarma said on a microblogging site that the state police will continue to take strict action against anyone found using social media to “spread hatred or glorify terror.”

Speaking to reporters in Guwahati, the Chief Minister informed that besides these five arrests, police have identified at least 34 more individuals across the state for allegedly expressing support for the blast online.

According to Sarma, the list includes five from Kamrup, one each from Tamulpur, Karbi Anglong, Baksa, Jorhat, and Kamrup (Metro); two each from Sonitpur, Golaghat, South Salmara, Goalpara, and Hojai; three each from Bongaigaon, Darrang, and Nalbari; four from Barpeta, and one from Cachar district.

He added that several users deleted their posts and comments after learning about the arrests. “But we have preserved the screenshots as evidence,” Sarma said. He alleged that instead of condemning the act of terror, “some people in Assam tried to disrupt the situation by reacting with smileys, thumbs-up emojis, and supportive comments.”

Referring to earlier protests at Zubeen Kshetra, Sarma linked the online activity to what he called a pattern of “hostility” from a specific section. “The same people have attacked the Red Fort, killed people in Pahalgam, and protested against the government’s rice and pulse subsidy. They are trying to destroy our society in every possible way — through bombs, bullets, or protests,” he said.

The Chief Minister also warned that terrorism is no longer confined to any particular social or educational group. “After the Delhi blast, it’s clear that education alone can’t prevent terrorism. Earlier, people believed that only the uneducated were drawn to such acts, but that’s no longer true,” he noted.

Cautioning that Assam remains in a “tough situation,” Sarma warned of possible infiltration attempts by extremist elements. “Terrorists may infiltrate our land anytime because a certain group holds a large demographic percentage. Assam has to remain alert. If something happens here, it will be of high intensity,” he said.

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