Pork on the menu, insult to CM Himanta Biswa Sarma’s mother: Assam’s literary body courts controversy

Assam’s prominent literary body and the custodian of Assamese literature since 1917, the Asam Sahitya Sabha, has found itself mired in another controversy, this time over food served during an executive meeting and charges of disrespect towards the organisation’s vice-president Mrinalini Devi, who happens to be mother of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

According to reports, pork was served during the central executive meeting of the body held at Upper Assam’s Sivasagar district on July 24. This caused outrage among a section of the participants who objected to pork meat on the menu. A large section of people in Assam avoids eating pork, at least in public, for religious and customary reasons. However, in Upper Assam, especially among tribal communities it’s a very popular delicacy.

Those opposing the serving pork meat also pointed to the fact that currently there is a prohibition on sale and consumption of pork in Sivasagar and neighbouring districts due to the rise in African swine fever.

Sivasagar district Sahitya Sabha Secretary, Santosh Dutta said that they were unaware of the prohibition on pork sale and consumption.  As pork was a local delicacy of various tribal groups, it was included in the menu which, they thought, would appeal the representatives of different groups. “Some consumed pork, some didn’t. Yet, we would like to express our deepest regrets if our actions have hurt the sentiments of the people. We admit our mistake and take full responsibility for the incident,” Dutta said speaking exclusively to India Today NE.

However, Asam Sahitya Sabha President Kuladhar Saikia, who has been in office for a second term following his retirement as DGP of Assam, rubbished these reports and said that the media should instead focus on the literary discourse that took place during the meeting. Meanwhile, Kamal Kumar Tanti, a poet from Assam, joined the debate and claimed that the contemptuous attitude toward serving pork indicates the caste predominance of Hindu Assamese society even though pork has long been a staple of the state’s tribal people.

As this debate continued, another controversy hit the Asam Sahitya Sabha. Taking to Facebook on July 24, Dr Jayanta Biswa Sarma, brother of Chief Minister Sarma, expressed displeasure over the current workings of the apex literary body. The UK-based Medical Microbiologist claimed that his mother Mrinalini  Devi was humiliated by some of the “insiders” of the Asam Sahitya Sabha during the central executive meeting at Sivasagar. “For last three years my octogenarian mother has been facing humiliation by the inner circle of Sahitya Sabha. Today, at Sivasagar executive meeting, she was unceremoniously barred from speaking…she has been crying because of this humiliation,” he posted.

As per sources, Mrinalini Devi felt insulted when she was denied her turn to speak at the meeting at Sivasagar. She has not expressed her displeasure in public yet. However, a top Sabha official told India Today NE that Mrinalini Devi was never barred from speaking at the meeting. “It was an open session. The agenda was pre-decided. She did not show any intent to speak. If she wanted to speak, she could have,” said the official