Himanta shooting video: BJP alleges sabotage by ex-Ahmed Patel aide linked to Bengal police probe in Jharkhand MLA cash case

Even as a 17-second AI-generated video showing Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma firing a gun at a supposedly illegal Bangladeshi Muslim immigrant standing next to Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi triggered a political storm and invited legal trouble for Sarma, several BJP insiders have raised doubts about a possible deliberate sabotage by an individual who had earlier worked for Congress leaders and is now unofficially handling Sarma’s social media profile.

The inflammatory video, accompanied by chilling captions such as “Point Blank Shot” and “No Mercy”, was posted on the Assam BJP’s social media handle. Following nationwide outrage, the post was deleted, and the state BJP expelled its Social Media Co-Convenor, Ron Bikash Gaurav, after he was identified as the person responsible for uploading the controversial video. Clarifying his position, Chief Minister Sarma distanced himself from the video, stating that it did not reflect the party’s official stand. He reiterated his long-held political position against illegal immigration, asserting that his opposition is directed at “Bangladeshi infiltrators” and not at Indian or Assamese Muslims.

However, several BJP insiders claim that Ron Bikash was merely made a scapegoat and that the real brain behind the episode was Siddharth Mazumdar, who unofficially handles Sarma’s social media profile. They further allege that this may have been a deliberate attempt to sabotage the BJP’s plan to build a strong narrative against the Congress following the chief minister’s explosive press conference, “exposing Gaurav Gogoi’s” alleged links with Pakistan. The basis of their claim lies in Mazumdar’s past association with Congress leaders and his brief phase as a critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

They also point out that his mishandling of the social media narrative following legendary singer Zubeen Garg’s death had temporarily put both the chief minister and the BJP on the back foot. “The situation improved only after the chief minister personally took charge of his public and social media narrative,” says a senior Assam BJP leader. The Zubeen Garg episode, they argue, was not an isolated incident. Over the past five years, Sarma’s social media presence has been marred by several embarrassing missteps.

In 2023, during the release of the Bollywood film Pathan, the chief minister famously claimed that he did not know who Shah Rukh Khan was. This declaration was later forgotten by his social media team. In subsequent posts, Sarma’s official handles referenced the actor’s older films, an oversight that invited immediate ridicule, as users were quick to remind him of his professed “ignorance” about one of Indian cinema’s most recognisable faces.

Also Read: Assam BJP expels man behind controversial 'point-blank shot' video featuring Himanta Biswa Sarma

BJP leaders place the blame squarely on Mazumdar, who holds no official position but uses two vehicles provided by the Chief Minister’s Office and occasionally sits at the state BJP office. He is also associated with Meadows Marketing & Communication Agency, which has an office in Rukmini Nagar, Guwahati.

The last time Mazumdar grabbed national headlines was in 2022, during the episode involving an alleged attempt to destabilise the Jharkhand government led by Hemant Soren. In July 2022, three Jharkhand Congress MLAs—Irfan Ansari, Rajesh Kachhap, and Naman Bixal Kongari—were arrested by West Bengal Police in Kolkata after Rs 49 lakh was found in the vehicle they were travelling in, as they could not explain the source of the money.

It was later alleged that the money was part of a bribe paid to destabilise the Jharkhand government, which was led by the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and the Congress. Police registered a case against them under various sections of the Indian Penal Code related to criminal conspiracy, cheating, and bribery.

In connection with the case, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of West Bengal went to Delhi to search Mazumdar’s home and question him. However, according to the West Bengal CID, the Delhi Police allegedly stopped the team from conducting the search. Assam BJP sources claim that around this time, Mazumdar was spending his days in lower Assam, including in and around Manas National Park.

As India Today NE has reported earlier, Mazumdar’s background makes his selection as Chief Minister Sarma’s social media manager particularly intriguing. A former employee of Meta, the social media conglomerate, he previously worked closely with Ahmed Patel, the late political secretary to former UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and one of the Congress party’s most influential backroom operators.

It was through this Congress connection that Mazumdar first came into contact with Sarma, who was himself a prominent Congress leader at the time and maintained close ties with Patel. Following Patel’s death, Mazumdar joined Meta and subsequently worked briefly with Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi, primarily during the run-up to the 2021 Assam Assembly elections.

Political circles have long whispered that Mazumdar served as Sarma’s eyes and ears within the Congress camp during this period. When the BJP swept the 2021 polls and Sarma became chief minister, Mazumdar made an official switch, joining the new dispensation as the chief minister’s social media handler.

Adding another layer of intrigue to Mazumdar’s profile are media reports alleging that he operated an anonymous social media account called “Nyay-Sahay” on X (formerly Twitter). According to these reports, the account regularly posted abusive content targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Before allegedly adopting anonymity to shield his identity while running the Nyay-Sahay account, Mazumdar reportedly operated under the handle “mazumdar_sid”.

Mazumdar’s political journey, however, reveals a pattern of periodic ideological shifts. Before becoming a Congress backroom operative and heaping praise on Rahul Gandhi between 2015 and 2021, he was associated with Citizens for Accountable Governance (CAG), the non-profit organisation that managed Narendra Modi’s 2014 election campaign. CAG later evolved into the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC), the election consultancy headed by strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor.

These revelations raise uncomfortable questions about the vetting processes for individuals entrusted with managing the digital presence of senior BJP leaders, and about whether the party’s social media operations in Assam may have been compromised from within. “He is a mercenary. How can the CM be sure that he has not been paid by the Congress to internally sabotage our campaign plan?” asks a senior Assam BJP leader.

When India Today NE contacted Mazumdar for comment, he declined to respond directly, stating that the Assam BJP would be the appropriate authority to address the issue and that he was not prepared to answer the questions. “You are paid to ask this question. I have no contact with Assam BJP. This is a fake allegation. Himanta Biswa Sarma runs his own handles, he has said it on record,” Mazumdar said.

When India Today NE asked Ron Bikash Gaurav whether he had uploaded the video, he denied having done so. Assam BJP social media convenor Biswajit Khaund also declined to reveal who uploaded the video, saying it was an internal party matter.

The video surfaced on X on February 7, 2026, and spread rapidly across social media before being taken down amid sharp criticism from opposition parties, civil society groups, and sections of the public. In a state where more than one-third of the population is Muslim, the imagery struck a raw nerve.

Critics accused the ruling party of weaponizing AI technology to stoke communal hatred at a time when Assam is heading towards Assembly elections, expected around March or April next year.

On February 10, 2026, the Supreme Court agreed to consider listing a plea of Left leaders seeking action against Sarma over the video.