‘12 Bihus’ reference in school essay sparks outrage in Assam; Dhubri Police seize books

Dhubri Police on Wednesday, May 20, seized hundreds of copies of a school-level Assamese grammar and essay book from a local bookstore amid growing outrage over alleged factual distortions related to Bihu, a key cultural tradition of Assam.
 

A police team led by Pritam Das, Officer-in-Charge of Dhubri Police Station, raided New Mohammadiya Pustakalay in Dhubri town and seized 320 copies of Sahaj Byakaran Rachana, a book meant for students of Classes VI, VII and VIII.
 

Police also detained the proprietor of the bookstore and brought him to the police station for questioning.
 

The action came after strong public reactions over allegations that the book contained incorrect information about Bihu. The controversy intensified following claims that the publication referred to “12 Bihus”, triggering criticism from several organisations and members of the public.
 

During the raid, the bookstore proprietor allegedly told police that he did not know the name of the book’s author, prompting further scrutiny by the authorities.
 

Reacting sharply to the issue, Utpal Sharma, president of the All Assam Students' Union (AASU), accused the author and publisher of spreading misinformation about Assam’s cultural heritage.
 

“The person who wrote that there are 12 Bihus is foolish, and those who published it are even bigger fools,” Sharma said.
 

Demanding strict action against those responsible, he said authors and publishers presenting incorrect information about Assamese traditions should be held accountable.
 

“Such writers and publishers should be brought and put in jail,” he said.
 

Sharma also remarked that those responsible should be made to memorise essays on Bihu overnight and rewrite them the next morning.
 

The incident has sparked wider discussions in Assam over the accuracy of educational and published material dealing with the State’s culture and traditions.