Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that the Assam Education Department has been directed to revise high school history textbooks, reopening debate over how certain historical figures and events are presented. His statement followed controversy linked to his recent remarks on Muslim communities in the state.
The chief minister did not lay out a detailed framework for the revisions but raised doubts about the commonly taught narrative that Ahom-era warrior Bagh Hazarika fought alongside the celebrated Ahom commander Lachit Barphukan against Mughal forces. He said he had already spoken to Education Minister Ranoj Pegu regarding the proposed rewriting of history lessons.
According to Sarma, Bagh Hazarika was not present in the Battle of Saraighat. Instead, he credited a Mising figure, Miri Handique, with taking part in resistance against the Mughals in the Kamrup region. He made these remarks while attending the closing session of the Mising Youth Festival organised by Takam Mising Porin Kebang at Kareng Chapori, in the presence of Amit Shah.
Many historical sources, however, describe Bagh Hazarika—also known as Ismail Siddique—as a 17th-century fighter who supported Lachit Barphukan in the 1671 Battle of Saraighat. He is widely believed to have come from an Assamese Muslim family in the Sivasagar region.
Sarma’s comments arrive amid heightened political sensitivity in Assam around identity and migration. He and the state unit of Bharatiya Janata Party have often drawn a distinction between indigenous Assamese Muslims and Bengali-speaking Muslims commonly referred to as “Miya.” The term has historically been used in a derogatory way, though some members of the community have more recently embraced it as a marker of identity.
The chief minister has argued that infiltration and land encroachment are serious concerns and has credited the Mising community with safeguarding Upper Assam. He suggested that the demographic and cultural landscape of the region would be different if the Mising population were more widely distributed across districts.
At the same event, Sarma praised the Mising community for its work ethic and cultural role, and announced financial support, including a Rs 100 crore grant for the Mising Youth Festival and Rs 10 crore aimed at the development of the Donyi-Polo community.
