Fri Nov 07 18:33:48 UTC 2025: News Article:
Silchar Residents Protest Sedition Accusations Over Singing of Tagore’s “Amar Sonar Bangla”
Guwahati, Assam – November 8, 2025 – Scores of residents in Silchar, southern Assam, gathered on Thursday evening (November 6, 2025) to collectively sing “Amar Sonar Bangla, Aami Tomay Bhalobashi,” a song penned by Rabindranath Tagore, in protest against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government’s perceived stance that singing the patriotic anthem is “seditious.”
The demonstration was sparked by the booking of Congress Seva Dal member Bidhu Bhushan Das for singing the song at a party event. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma criticized the act, referring to “Amar Sonar Bangla” as the “Bangladesh national anthem” and prompting sedition charges against Das.
“Amar Sonar Bangla,” written in 1905 during the partition of Bengal, was adopted as Bangladesh’s national anthem in 1971. The controversy has inflamed sensitivities in Assam, where politics are often centered on the issue of “illegal immigrants” from Bangladesh.
Protestors, including intellectuals and members of NGOs and cultural groups, assembled at the statue of freedom fighter Khudiram Bose to express their pride in Rabindra Sangeet and their determination to continue singing Tagore’s songs. Former Vice Chancellor of Assam University, Tapodhir Bhattacharjee, argued that the song should be sung proudly as a tribute to Tagore and the shared cultural identity of Bengalis. Mohitosh Paul of the Barak Valley Blood Donors’ Forum also questioned why Tagore’s song is considered seditious now, while Sindh province (now in Pakistan) is still mentioned in the Indian national anthem.
The protestors also criticized the Delhi police for a recent letter that referred to Bengali as a “Bangladeshi language,” which they saw as further adding insult to injury.
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