Delhi blast: Nine more held in Assam over alleged ‘offensive’ posts, total 15

Assam Police have arrested nine more individuals for allegedly posting “offensive” or “celebratory” content on social media following Monday’s deadly car bomb blast near Delhi’s Red Fort, chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced on Thursday. With the latest arrests, the total number of people apprehended in the state over such posts has climbed to 15.

The arrests, made between Wednesday night and Thursday morning, span several districts. “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.

The latest detainees were identified 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 police will continue to act firmly against anyone who glorifies violence or attempts to justify acts of terror. “Assam Police remain uncompromising against those who glorify violence,” he said.

The chief minister had earlier directed law enforcement agencies to track and arrest anyone found making inflammatory or celebratory remarks about the Delhi blast online. “We have identified 35 people across districts for posting such content,” he said, adding that authorities are also examining possible foreign links.

“If we find that anyone has links with Bangladesh or any other country, we will take very tough action,” Sarma warned.

He clarified, however, that minors or those unaware that their devices were used to post such material would not face arrest. “But those responsible will not be spared,” he asserted.

Sarma also claimed that many users have begun deleting their posts following police warnings. “We have already taken screenshots — deleting posts will not save them,” he said, alleging that several of those detained were among individuals who had recently protested against the state government at Zubeen Kshetra in Guwahati.

The police crackdown follows a high-intensity explosion near Delhi’s Red Fort Metro station on Monday evening, which tore through a slow-moving car, killing 13 people and injuring several others. Investigators later identified the driver as Dr Umar Nabi, a Pulwama-based physician allegedly linked to a “white-collar terror module” with connections to banned outfits Jaish-e-Mohammed and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind.

Assam Police have said monitoring of social media activity will continue in the coming days, as part of a "coordinated effort to curb online radicalisation and the spread of hate speech".

With PTI inputs