Guwahati, Apr 14: AJP candidate Kunki Chowdhury’s mother, Sujata Gurung Chowdhury, has filed a complaint with the National Commission for Women (NCW) against Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, alleging he made “false, baseless and malicious” statements during campaigning for the assembly polls.
In her complaint filed on April 11, the senior Chowdhury claimed that Sarma’s statements were “intended to defame” her and “politically target” the Assam Jatiya Parishad candidate for Guwahati Central, and demanded legal action against the CM for “inciting” people with “fake propaganda”.
Sarma has not yet made any remarks on the complaint against him.
On April 2, the BJP leader claimed that Sujata Gurung Chowdhury had shared social media posts related to beef consumption, made remarks offensive to certain sections of society and supported Pakistan, thereby hurting the sentiments of ‘Sanatani’ people.
Repeating the same allegations in the subsequent campaigning phase, Sarma even said he would take action against Kunki’s parents for allegedly consuming beef and uploading a picture of it on social media.
“These statements are completely false, baseless, and malicious, and appear to have been made with the intent to defame me and politically target my daughter,” Sujata Gurung Chowdhury wrote in her complaint.
She said Sarma showed a photograph to the media, claiming it depicted a moment of her consuming beef.
Chowdhury dismissed the allegation by saying that the image was taken at The International Church of Cannabis (ICC), located in Denver, Colorado, in the US.
She also attached a letter, purportedly written by ICC Director Steve Berke, which asserted that the item Chowdhury was holding up was “a pillow, not any type of meat”, and that it is kept at the entrance of the museum for the visitors to take pictures.
After Sarma made the allegations, Chowdhury’s personal photographs, including those with her minor son, are being circulated widely on social media without consent, the NCW complaint stated.
“I have been subjected to online abuse, harassment, and character assassination. Several unidentified individuals and social media handles have circulated manipulated images and AI-generated content to malign my dignity. These acts have caused me and my family, especially my minor child, severe mental distress and reputational harm,” she said.
Chowdhury asserted that the entire development has violated her right to dignity and privacy, circulated misinformation and manipulated digital content, and endangered a minor’s privacy and well-being.
Urging the NCM to take immediate cognisance of the matter, she requested the body to direct appropriate authorities to investigate the defamatory statements and online harassment, and ensure the removal of the content from social media platforms.
She appealed to the NCW to “recommend appropriate legal action against Himanta Biswa Sarma due to his fake propaganda and malicious intent”.
Chowdhury also demanded necessary protection to safeguard her dignity and her minor child’s privacy.
“I am a private individual with no active involvement in electoral politics. I have been drawn into public discourse solely because my daughter, Kunki Chowdhury, is contesting the ongoing Assam assembly elections from the Guwahati Central constituency,” she added.
AJP debutante Kunki Chowdhury found herself at the centre of a charged controversy with Sarma threatening legal action against her parents over alleged beef consumption, even as she dismissed the attacks as baseless and challenged BJP veteran Vijay Kumar Gupta in Guwahati Central constituency. (PTI)
